


The Secret Shelby

by SB1080



Category: Peaky Blinders (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-25
Updated: 2020-12-03
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:41:45
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 21
Words: 29,770
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27715601
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SB1080/pseuds/SB1080
Summary: The Shelbys find out they have a sister as a result of a love affair between their father and a Jewish woman. After coming to live with Tommy and her family in Birmingham she meets Alfie. Torn between being a Shelby and being a Jew, Ruthie Borofsky has to decide where her allegiance lies.
Relationships: Alfie Solomons/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 18
Kudos: 76





	1. Chapter 1

The room was packed with people, glasses were clinking, and the fire was roaring and warm. There was nothing like a dinner party at Tommy Shelby's. Polly Gray looked around and saw every person she loved and then some. She walked through to the parlor and entered the dining room.  
Looking out the big window she saw the snow and the cold and almost forgot there was a snowstorm rolling in. Tommy had already planned this party and he was not about to cancel it. So, tonight everyone would be packed into his big house drinking and enjoying themselves. Out in the distance she saw movement. Thinking it was an animal Polly began to walk closer to the window. As she got closer, she realized it wasn't an animal, but a person. A young woman the same age as John or Ada was looking up at her in the window. Her hair was brown, her build petite, and her lips… her lips were blue with cold.  
The young woman shook severely. She had a simple dress that went below her knees, no coat, no shoes. Polly put her hands on the window to get a closer look and as she did so, the young woman walked up the steps to the back patio and put her hand on the window meeting Polly's. as they stood there staring at each other Polly looked into her eyes and thought to herself "Shelby blue, just like her brothers'". Suddenly a gust of wind echoed around the windows and the young woman backed away. Never breaking eyes with Polly, she took a few steps back, laid in the snow and Polly watched her eyes go cold and lifeless. Snow began to fall heavier than Polly had ever seen. In mere minutes the young woman was covered. The only thing you could see of her body was her right hand, sticking out almost reaching for help. Suddenly the music faded in, but there was no talking in the background or glasses clinking. Polly turned around and the entire household was staring at her.  
"See what you've done?" said Tommy.  
"It's all your fault!" Arthur said angrily.  
"You should have told us!" Ada scowled.  
"All your fault!"  
"We had a right to know!"  
"All your fault!"  
The crowd grew closer around Polly as she stepped to the side trying to get back to the parlor.  
"Wait, I can explain!" Polly insisted.  
They didn't hear her. They got closer, their eyes angry and red. Polly ran to the foyer, they were so close she couldn't run to the stairs. She opened the front door, wind and snow bursting in. They didn't relent so she ran outside. What was wrong with these people? They didn't even know her! Polly tripped on the last step and fell on her back.  
"Please! Just let me explain!" She pleaded and she leaned up on her hands.  
"It's all your fault." Arthur said one last time as Tommy pulled out his gun and pointed it at her face.  
_____________________________________________________________________________________________  
Polly woke up in a cold sweat. Attempting to slow her racing heart, she got out of bed and walked to the washbasin. As she splashed her face with cold water, she looked in the mirror. Why, after all these years?


	2. Chapter 2

On Monday morning, Polly walked into work late. Her hair was a mess and she had circles under her eyes from not sleeping all weekend. Walking past everyone without a word, she sat down and began to work. About 15 minutes passed when Ada walked in and sat down across from her desk.  
"Are you okay, Polly? You look as if you haven't slept since Saturday." Ada asked her  
"That's because I haven't slept since 1 o'clock Saturday morning." Polly said without looking up.  
"Is everything alright?"  
Polly put her pencil down, leaned back in her chair, and closing her eyes said, "It will be soon enough."  
Moments later, after accepting she wasn't going to get an explanation, Ada left the room. Polly grabbed her bag, walked to the safe and, making sure no one was watching her, she got three large bundles of money out. After putting them in her bag she walked out muttering that she had business to attend to and wouldn't be back in today.  
____________________________________________________________________________________________  
This is ridiculous Polly. You don't even know if she still lives in Salford. For all you know, that wasn't even her in your dream. It could have been anybody. You haven't seen this girl since she was 5. It might have not been her. Polly tried for the rest of the train ride to convince herself the young woman in the dream wasn't the same girl she had seen 25 years ago, but the Gypsy in her knew it was. Since her experience with the noose and her second sight renewed, she knew there was no denying she was seeing this girl in her dreams for a reason.  
Polly had arrived in Manchester a full hour before she convinced herself to finish making her way to Salford. After walking into the largely Jewish community she went into numerous shops, trying to make it seem as though she weren't looking for anyone or anything in particular. After another three hours passed with no luck of seeing the girl, Polly finally decided to end her searching and get something to eat. She walked into a small bakery that smelled wonderfully of bread and herbs. She scanned the displays of challah, bialy, and matzo before ordering a decent sized helping of babka and sitting at one of the small tables by the window. She took one bite of the babka and fell in love. It melted in her mouth and the rich cinnamon flavor was unlike anything she had ever had. She made a mental note to purchase some more before leaving. As she sat, she watched the people in the community out of the window hoping to get a glimpse of the girl from her dream until it as dark outside. A part of her was glad she hadn't found her.  
Lost in thought, Polly jumped when an elderly Jewish woman touched her arm.  
"Um, miss?" Said the woman. "We are closing, I'm afraid you'll have to leave now."  
"Oh, I'm going to miss my train!" Polly said as she noticed the large crowd in the bakery had vanished and only she and three workers remained in the bakery.  
Gathering her things, she stood to walk out when she overheard the second, middle aged woman say, "Ruthie, make sure you wipe the tables before you leave."  
Instantly, she stopped and examined the other women. The elderly woman was short and frail looking with a halo of a gray braid wrapped around the top of her head. The second woman about the same age as Polly, was plump and had long hair she also kept in a braid going down her back. Then she looked at the third woman and wave of dread engulfed her. There she was. The young lady from her dreams. She was petite and wore a simple beige muslin dress that went to her ankles. Her sleeves were rolled, and her dark chestnut hair pulled back into what was probably once a tight bun, but after a long day of working was messy and falling.  
The young woman stood behind the checkout counter wiping it down when Polly took a deep breath, held her head high, and walked up to it.  
"Ruthie Borofsky?" Polly said in her best I-mean-business tone.  
The woman said nothing but looked up making eye contact with Polly and Polly knew it was her. She opened her bag and one at a time took out the bundles of money and put on the counter in front of Ruthie. Ruthie watched her, unspeaking and finally cut her eyes up at Polly, waiting. Polly examined Ruthie's face. There was no expression, nothing in her eyes that Polly could read as any type of emotion. How like her brother she is.  
"You don't know me. But this money is yours. If you manage it properly, you should be able to live a very comfortable life from now on."  
Ruthie only stared at her, expressionless.  
"Alright. Well then." Polly nodded and turned, walking out of the bakery to catch her train.


	3. Chapter 3

A week had passed, and life had gone back to normal. Polly no longer had dreams about Ruthie and her conscience was clear. Tommy didn't ask where she had gone that day and told the rest of the family to leave her be. If it had to do with business for the company, he would know about it by now and she had gone back to acting like herself, so he left it alone. Tommy had a clear afternoon that day which was very unlike his usual Mondays, so he wasn't surprised when Lizzy knocked and opened the door.

"Tommy, there's a Miss Borofsky here to see you."

"Send her in." he replied.

He had never heard of any Borofsky's or any Jew for that matter being in Birmingham. Unless you count Alfie's occasional entrances which were always planned in advance. Tommy refilled his whiskey glass and walked back to his desk as he heard heels entering the room and the door close.

As he sat down, he said "What can I do for you Miss Borofsky?" 

Finally, he looked up to examine the young woman who had walked in his office. There was something oddly familiar about her. Perhaps he had seen her on one of his trips to Camden Town, he thought to himself. But that didn't seem right. She walked up to his desk, her face stoic. She opens her bag and puts three large bundles of money on his desk.

"You can take this back." She said her voice irritated.

Tommy looked at her, confused.

"Just so I am making myself very, very clear, I do not need your help, nor do I need help from any Shelby. The Shelbys haven't had a thing to do with me for the past 30 years, I see no reason why that has to change now. I am not your charity case that you can go around telling all of your posh little friends about how you 'took me under your wing and provided for me because I am so misfortunate'. And I especially don't appreciate you lot waving your money in my face."

Tommy continued to look at her. Finally, he opened his mouth to say something but was cut off as she leaned in her face inches from his. He could see the anger and agitation in her eyes.

"You tell Polly Shelby to stay the fuck away from me. And that goes for the rest of you as well."

She turned on her heels and stormed out of the office not bothering to close the door behind her. Tommy sat there, trying to decipher some clue as to what she was talking about, or who she was. Finally, he told Lizzy to call Polly and have her come to his office.  
When Polly walked into the room Tommy was sitting behind his desk smoking a cigarette.

"So, what is it that was so important I had to come here instead of discussing over the phone?" She said as she lit herself a cigarette.

Tommy opened the drawer of his desk, took out the bundles of money and put them in front of her. Polly watched him, a bored look on her face.

"What? You couldn't bring them to the safe yourself?"

"A woman by the name Borofsky brought them to me today."

Polly's face went white, but she held her composure. "Oh?"

"That's right. And then she told me to have you stay the fuck away from her." Tommy waited for a response, but Polly didn't give one. "And she was under the impression that we were giving her money as some sort of charity. To wave our money in her face. So that we could tell our 'posh friends' that we helped this woman out. Why would she think that Polly?"

"I don't know why she would think that. All I did was put the money in front of her and tell her it could help make her comfortable. I never gave her my name or where I was from." Polly said earnestly. She was confused, how did Ruthie know where to find her? How did she know it was her that gave her the money in the first place?

"Who is she?"

Polly looked at Tommy, and after a slight hesitation she finally stated, "She's your sister."


	4. Chapter 4

"My what?" Tommy replied, a crease forming between his eyes.  
"Well, technically she's your half-sister."  
Tommy's confused expression grew into one of unbelief. "What are you talking about Pol?"  
Polly Sighed. "I had promised never to mention it again you know. But your mother and father are both dead so, I suppose that promise is void now." Polly made herself comfortable in her seat and went on. "When your father walked out on you, it wasn't the first time he had tried. He'd had affairs with whores and various women since before he and your mother married. None of them meant anything except the affair he had with Sybil Borofsky. He didn't love her, lord knows the bastard never loved anyone his entire life. But the affair with her lasted a lot longer than one night. He had been sneaking around with her for over a year when she revealed to him that she was pregnant with his child."  
Polly took a drag of her cigarette. "Four months after John was born, Borofsky gave birth to a girl and named her Ruthie. She was given the family name of Shelby on her birthing papers at your fathers request, but he also insisted that she go by Borofsky so that your mum wouldn't find out by some happenstance that there was another Shelby child walking around England. Your father continued to see Sybil Borofsky until John and Ruthie were five years old. Your mother found out about Ruthie from a letter she had found from Sybil to your father. Your father left your mother after the fight and went to be with Sybil. I think it was just to spite your mother, prove to her he had other options." Polly said shaking her head.  
"Your mother fell ill out of grief and refused to get out of bed. So, I went to Salford to find him and bring him back for all your sakes. I could see the girl through the window as I knocked on the door and Sybil sent her to bed once she realized who I was. It all went to hell as I tried to talk sense into him but, in the end, I convinced him to come back to Small Heath. He vowed to your mother that he would never see Sybil or the girl again and then I was asked never to speak of it again. He kept his vow, and so did I…. Well, until now."  
Polly finished her story and put the remnants of her cigarette in the ash tray.  
"I remember him leaving and her getting sick. That's when she first started taking tablets." Tommy said. He leaned back and ran his fingers across his brow, thinking. "So, there is another Shelby out there? And she thinks we gave her money to give ourselves some sort of bigoted pat on the back"  
"Are you going to tell the others?"  
Tommy paused in thought "I don't know."  
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Tommy thought on the situation and what would be best for the family and finally decided on holding a family meeting.  
The whole Shelby lot was at Tommy's house in the drawing room.  
"So, Tommy, what have you got for us today?" Arthur asked, eager to see what kind of job Tommy had come up with.  
Tommy looked at them all, their faces curious and eager. Finally, he said, "The name on our door says, 'Shelby Company Limited.' It's a family business. So, I felt it best you all know there is another Shelby in England."  
"What are you talking about, Tom?" Arthur asked.  
"We have a sister. A half-sister, that lives up in Manchester." Tommy went on to explain to them his encounter with Ruthie as well as the story Polly had told him. When he was done, he said, "You all have a right to know and to have your input on what is done with this information."  
"What do you mean what is done with this information?" Ada asked  
"Do we want to reach out to her? Or leave things as they are?"  
"She doesn't sound like she wants anything to do with us, so I say we forget about her." John said.  
"Yeah, there's enough Shelby's here. Why do we need more? She isn't even full gypsy." Arthur replied  
"Well she might not be full gypsy like the rest of us, but she is just as much a Shelby as we are." Ada responded assertively.  
"Yeah well mum didn't want us to have anything to do with her. And that's when she turned to tablets, so it’s pretty much the girl's fault what happened to her." John retorted.  
"Oh, don't be ridiculous John. It's not the girl’s fault she was conceived and born nor is it her fault Mum turned to tablets. It's your fathers' fault."  
"He's your father too Ada."  
Ada pursed her lips and looked at Tommy. She had a sister out there and she owed it to the both of them to at least make an attempt at meeting her.  
"Look, Shelby Company Limited is about family, right? Well, she's a Shelby too. Let's at least reach out to her, make an attempt. If she doesn't want anything to do with us, then she can make that decision."  
In the end they all agreed and her and Tommy would be driving north the next morning to Salford to reach out. Ada, pleased with herself, went to bed convinced their trip was going to be a success.


	5. Chapter 5

Ruthie woke the next morning before the sun had risen. Sat on the edge of the bed and looked at her dangling feet. They ached from the day before, which is no surprise. Since she started working at age 11 her feet hadn't stopped hurting. She got up, stood in front of the mirror and examined herself. Her face was fair, and her lips were a delicate mauve color. She had bags under her eyes and her long, loose curls were damp from the night before and still smelled of yeast. Ruthie was tired. She had been tired since she was 11. Pulling her hair into a tight bun she walked to her cabinet, opened it and released a groan. The mice had eaten the bread she had brought home, again. She closed her eyes and bowed her head. Come now Ruthie. This is why you’re working so hard. So you can save enough to buy your own house and bakery. She took a deep breath and lifted her head. Turning, she was careful to avoid the rotting planks in her floor. Once she had reached her mirror, she moved it to reveal a hole in the wall filled with money. It wasn't a lot, but it was all she had. She was saving every penny for a way out of the slumming house she currently lived in. Maybe I should have kept the money. She thought, but as quickly as the thought came to her head, she dismissed it. Don't be ridiculous Ruthie. It wasn't a gift. They would have wanted something in return eventually. She squinted her eyes and pursed her lips. Yeah, like for you to be their maid. She rolled her eyes exasperatedly. Mr. OBE thinks he is so important; he can just go around handing out thousands of pounds like its nothing. I'm sure they all had a great laugh about it.  
The sun still hadn't risen when she began her walk to the bakery. She had worked at Alperstein's since the war ended. The couple that owned it were nice enough to her, but they weren't forthcoming when it came to her pay. Though, they were a bit more generous after she threated to leave if they didn't pay her two extra shillings a week. They knew she was the key to their success, and so did she. Her grandfather had taught her to bake when she was just a girl. He taught her all the secrets he knew. Right down to her secret weapon. Her babka. No one could replicate it, and she prized herself on it. He had taught her to make babka a week before her ninth birthday. She remembered it so clearly, he showed her the perfect amount of cinnamon and the perfect way to knead the dough. She practiced all week to surprise him at her birthday with it. The morning of her birthday she got out of bed ran down the stairs and made the best babka she could make. An hour passed, then two. And finally, the sun had sat and Zaydee never came. She had all but given up hope when there was a knock at the door. The little nine-year-old girl ran excitedly to the door, threw it open to find a policeman.

"Is your mummy home little girl?" He asked.

Before she could answer her mother walked up and the policeman took her aside and whispered something in her ear. Her mother immediately began to sob. He was gone. Zaydee would never taste her perfect babka. He had been stabbed in an alley for a small gold jewelry box that was perfect for a little girl's ninth birthday. Ruthie ate the entire batch of babka by herself that night.  
Shaking her head, Ruthie came back to the present to find herself standing at the front door of the bakery. She walked in, put on her apron and began to set up for the day.   
The day had been busy, and business was packed. All her favorite regulars came in. From Mr. Abelman, the little old man who always told her that her smile lit up his day, to Mrs. Elberg who complained that her husband was becoming too portly from eating so much bread. Ruthie only smiled as they watched her kneading. The guests used to come just to watch her work, trying to find her secret. Finally, Mrs. Alperstein's made them start buying something if they wanted to watch and buy they did. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Simon. He was a handsome Jewish man in his early 30s, and my did he fancy her. He had attempted to pursue her more than once only to be rejected. Ruthie couldn't explain why she didn't accept Simon's advancements, maybe it was because she wanted excitement. To do something that changed the world, or at least her world. Simon would never be that man to sweep her off her feet and rather than lead him on she let him down gently every time.  
By the end of the day she had almost forgotten about the Shelbys when the bell above the door chimed and she looked up to see Tommy Shelby and a young woman.  
Tommy watched as Ruthie's smile vanished and her jaw clenched. This is going to go well He thought sarcastically. He and Ada walked to the counter and Ruthie, looking furious, said nothing.

"We would like to order some of the babka please." Tommy said, a light tone to his voice.  
"There is a batch in the oven. Won't be ready for some time." Ruthie replied flatly.  
"We'll wait." Ada said a small smile turning up her mouth.

Fuming Ruthie went back to check the ovens. What part of stay the fuck away from me did they not understand? She grew more furious as she realized the babka was done. She didn't want to serve them, she wanted them to leave! With a bit too much force she cut and plated two servings.  
Tommy and Ada had settled themselves at a small table in the corner and were getting adjusted when Ruthie dropped two plates onto it with a loud crash.

"What do you want?" Ruthie demanded.  
"Ruthie? That's your name isn't it?" Ada said gently.  
"And you are?" Ruthie retorted with more attitude than she knew she had in her.  
"My name's Ada. I'm your sister."  
Ruthie's nostrils flared. "You're not my sister. Now, tell me. Why are you here?"  
"We just wanted to meet you, that's all. We mean no harm."  
"You wanted to meet me?" Ruthie laughed sardonically. "Why? You haven't wanted to meet me before. Why now?"  
"We didn't know about you then." Ada said delicately.  
Ruthie stared at them bemused. "What?"  
"It's true. We didn't know there was another Shelby out there. Not until you showed up in my office." Tommy replied.  
Ruthie paused, searching their faces for some hint of amusement at her confusion. Finally, she said, "I don't have time for this, I'm working." She turned to walk away but Ada grabbed her wrist.  
"Please, just give us a chance to know you. You can ask us any questions you like; we just want the opportunity, that's all." Ada said a slight pleading in her voice.  
Ruthie glanced at the counter, Alma and Eleanor were staring at this odd scene. Ruthie had never been rude to a customer before and Tommy not wanting to raise any more suspicion took out a business card.  
"Here. This has my address on the back. And here is some pocket money if you need it. We are going to have a family dinner on Monday night. If you want, you can come to this address at seven o'clock. If not, then you can keep the money and we won't attempt to contact you again."  
He looked at Ada and nodded towards the door. As they walked out Ada turned and looked at Ruthie as if to say, "please come". And then they left.  
Later that night after Ruthie had gotten home, she sat in the bathtub looking at the business card. With a big sigh she dropped it outside the tub and submerged herself.  
________________________________________________________________________________  
"Don't get your hopes up Ada." Tommy said glancing at her in the passenger seat. "Odds are she won't come."  
"Yeah well, I hope your wrong." Ada said determinedly.  
"Why are you so determined to get to know this woman?"  
"Our father may have walked out on us, but he abandoned her first. At least we've grown up knowing we always had each other. I don't want to abandon her too, with no one else in this world. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if we didn't at least try."  
"You don't know that she is alone in this world."  
"You don't know that she isn't." Ada said looking over at Tommy and Tommy stared ahead, driving home.


	6. Chapter 6

Ruthie stood outside a large brick estate house. She had been standing there for thirty minutes trying to decide if she wanted to go through with it. You know, eventually you'll have to either go in or leave, she thought to herself. She smoothed her olive-green, silk dress and fluffed her long loose curls. Her dress was the nicest piece of clothing she owned, and she never had an excuse to wear it. It was also her mothers and she prayed it would get her through the night. It was 6:25 and she couldn't bring herself to move. Oh, just do it! She raised her hand to knock on the door but, before her knuckles could touch the wood, the door opened.  
Tommy Shelby opened the door and for a moment they stared at each other, Ruthies fist still in the air. Ruthie cleared her throat and awkwardly put her fist down, wiping her clammy palm on her skirt.  
"I thought I saw someone out there." Tommy said as he moved to the side and she walked in the house. It was nice, nicer than any house she had ever been in. There were large portraits that were worth more than everything Ruthie owned put together. She walked, wringing her hands behind her back. Finally, they walked into the sitting room. The room was full of people, all staring at her.  
"Um, actually. Before we get started, I hoped I might use your powder room. It was a very long trip."  
"Of course. Francis here can show you the way." Tommy replied.  
The maid let her to the powder room and Ruthie shut and bolted the door behind her. She looked at herself in the mirror.  
"Okay Ruthie. What's going on with you?" She said aloud to herself. "They're just people. Gypsies. Their opinion of you doesn't change who you are. Plus, it's time we get some answers." She nodded assertively at herself in the mirror and with a renewed confidence walked back into the sitting room.  
"Would you like something to drink?" Tommy asked pointing to the drink cart.  
"I wouldn't mind a glass of rum." She replied.  
Taking the glass from Tommy she took a sip. The liquid immediately calmed her. And it was good, really good.  
"This is good. Do you know where it comes from?" She asked.  
"London. A business colleague of mine in Camden Town."  
"He's Jewish." Arthur interjected.  
Ruthie looked at Arthur and before she could respond Tommy cleared his throat and said, "Yes, he's Jewish."  
"And you're a Jewish gypsy." Arthur said to Ruthie. "We accept that." he nodded. "So, um, Shalom and all that." Arthur said with an awkward smile. Ruthie blinked at him and looked at Tommy.  
"Actually, I don't consider myself Gypsy. I am a Jew. And only that." Ruthie said proudly. She had never considered herself a gypsy though, technically her father was. But she had been raised a Jew and a Jew she would remain.  
"What? You too good to be a gypsy? The Shelbys are all gypsies." John said taking his cigar out of his mouth and looking down his nose at her.  
"Well bully for you. However, I am a Jew. That isn't going to change simply because a few of you show up at my work and eat my bread." She replied defensively.  
"Oh please, everybody wants to be a Shelby." John replied with a cocky look at Arthur who returned a cocky smile and a nod.  
Ruthie chuckled, "Oh really, and why is that?"  
"Because we're the Peaky fuckin' Blinders."  
There was a pause as Ruthie lifted her head and Tommy could see a familiar resilience in her eyes.  
"I can assure you, not everyone wants to be a Shelby." She stated confidently.  
"Then why did you come here tonight?" John retorted.  
Ruthie had no answer. Why did she come here tonight? During the pause in conversation, Ada stood and said with a side-eyed glare at John, "Well we are glad that you did." Then Tommy went around the room introducing her to everyone. There were a lot of children, and she had another brother, Finn, that was quite a bit younger than the rest of her siblings. As they walked into the dining room, they made small talk about the weather and her train ride.  
After they had seated Ruthie looked at all the food in surprise.  
"Don't worry. It's Kosher… That's Jewish" Arthur said clearly proud of himself.  
Ruthie blinked and opened her mouth to say something but was at a loss for words, so she simply closed her mouth and nodded at him, a look of pity on her face. Well, she thought, he's definitely not the scholar of the family. As they ate, she observed them. They obviously were not used to eating traditional Hebrew food as they would take a bite of something new and then give a look of surprise when they enjoyed it. Inwardly Ruthie laughed and shook her head. It was touching that they would make the attempt to be so hospitable towards her, but she still was unsure of their intentions. She started to open her mouth, but Ada beat her to it and said,  
"How long have you worked at that bakery?"  
"Since after the war."  
"Where did you work before that?"  
"Oh, um, that's complicated really."  
They all looked at her, waiting for an explanation.  
"I worked shining shoes when I was eleven. My mum had fell ill and we needed the money." The group kept their eyes locked on her. "Um, she, uh" Ruthie exhaled. "Well she fell ill with consumption." Ruthie looked at her plate. She hated talking about this.  
"Oh, I'm so sorry" Ada said genuinely. "That must have been very difficult."  
Ruthie shrugged, "it was a long time ago. When I was 16 it took her, and I held her hand the entire night. Then I started working at a different bakery, but most of the workers there were men so when the war started it closed."  
"What did you do during the war?" Linda asked.  
"I went to be a nurse. For the war. So, I took care of a lot of soldiers." Ruthie wasn't gloating. She didn't want praise, she just sat there looking at her plate. Watching her, Tommy found a respect for her that he hadn't expected. "It saved me." She continued. "Before that I drank a lot of rum and was a bit, um, unrestrained." Ruthie grinned and the rest of the table tried to hide their grins as she gave the implication. "It helped me realize the importance of doing something with my life."  
As she finished her story she looked around. John and Arthur nodded at her and the energy in the room lifted. They accepted her. After dessert they went back to the sitting room for more drinks. By this point Ruthie had had 3 glasses of rum and her face was feeling flushed. Finally, she asked the question she had been waiting for all night, "did you really not know about me?"  
"No, we had no idea." Ada replied.  
"How?" She turned to Polly. "You came into our house and drug him out. How did they not know?"  
"They were young. They didn't know where their father was." Polly responded defensively.  
"I hated you." Ruthie said matter-of-factly looking at her glass.  
"I don't know what your mother told you about that night but- "  
"She didn't have to tell me anything. I saw it." Ruthie interrupted.  
"You… saw?"  
"I watched from the top of the stairs. I saw everything. That's why I hated you all. You bragged on Tommy and Arthur and John and then went on to talk about his beautiful daughter Ada. Then he agreed to go back. I know he wasn't a good person, he wasn't even a very good dad, but I always thought that my life might have been different if he had at least come round. Even if he didn't live with us." Ruthie was giving a lot more detail than she had planned. Rum was a bad idea.  
"It wouldn't have been." Tommy responded. "He would have walked out on you for good eventually. Like he did us. That's who he was."  
Silence fell on the room. The iceberg that had once been there had melted and Ruthie wasn't sure if it was that or the rum, but she finally felt relaxed.  
"I should probably go. I need to catch my train."  
"I am actually going that way so I can drop you off if you'd like" Ada offered.  
Ruthie rode to the station with Ada and they discussed different business ventures that Shelby Company Limited had been a part of.  
"You know, you are always welcome here in Birmingham. We are a family business so, if you ever wanted to…."  
"Look, I don't want you to get the wrong impression. We have the same father. And you aren't all as pigheaded as I once thought you all to be. But I'm not sure that makes me family. It was a good meeting. I think it's best we leave it at that."  
"Alright, but, if you change your mind…"  
Ruthie nodded in response and walked to meet her train. Move to Birmingham? Not likely.


	7. Chapter 7

As the weeks went by Ruthie's life went back to normal with the exception of a letter or two from Ada. After about a month she received an invite from Tommy. The family was taking a break from business and would be spending a weekend in London. He had informed her that Shelby Company Limited had booked an extra room and if she liked, she could join them and that the company would be paying for all expenses. Ruthie rolled her eyes, when will they stop trying to give me money? She thought.  
Work that Thursday had come and gone and as she walked home, she heard footsteps behind her. As they got closer, she turned around and gave a small shriek as he walked into her.  
"Simon! Were you trying to frighten me?" She asked putting her hand on her chest as she tried to catch her breath.  
"Oh, no. Sorry, Ruthie. I just saw you walking by yourself and thought you might like the company." He responded.  
"Oh, you just saw me walking by myself, eh?" She knew he had been waiting outside the bakery for her to leave.  
"Well…." He shrugged with a coy smile crossing his face. "Actually, I was hoping I could talk with you."  
Here we go again. Ruthie thought.  
"I would be really good to you, if you would give me the chance." He wasn't beating around bush tonight, it seemed.  
"Simon, we've been over this. You are a lovely man but, I don't think I am the woman for you." How many times do we have to have this conversation?  
"You are though. Just give me the chance. This weekend, go on a date with me."  
"I can't. I will be out of town this weekend." Ruthie replied before she caught herself.  
"Out of town? You used to never go out of town. Now it's twice in one month?" Simon gave her a suspicious look.  
"Well, it's complicated and not really something I want to talk about. So…."  
Simon cut her off. "What? Is.. Is there a man or.. or something?"  
Deciding that might make it clear she was not interested in him that way, she replied "Yes. I am going to London to see a man."  
"Who?" Simon's tone was beginning to sound aggressive.  
"Just.. um… Okay I lied. There is no man. I am going to meet some friends. Or potential friends, I guess." Ruthie did not want to go into detail that she had met her long-lost family and that she had just inadvertently decided to spend a weekend with them to get out of going on a date with him.  
"So, were you trying to make me jealous?" Simon asked, a strange look coming across his face.  
"No, I just….um…" Ruthie was feeling uncomfortable. She wanted out of this conversation and away from Simon.  
Simon placed his hand on the door as she tried to open it, stopping her. Fear welled up inside her. "You don't want to make me jealous, Ruthie."  
Her breathing began to quicken as she stared in his eyes. There was something mad in there that she had never seen before. "I just want to go inside, please." She said not meeting his eye. Finally, Simon moved and as she walked in her front door, he said "I'll see you when you get back." That wasn't a suggestion, she could tell from his tone, it was a promise.  
Bolting the door shut, she tried to calm herself. What just happened? She walked to her bed, pulled her luggage from under it and began to pack. She hadn't planned on going to London, but after tonight's events she wanted nothing more than to get away for a few days.  
She slept very little that night. The whole encounter with Simon was so odd. He had never been anything but friendly before. The next morning, she didn't leave her house before dawn as usual. Instead, she waited and walked in the sunlight to the train station, very aware of Simon's gaze on her as she passed the bakery.


	8. Chapter 8

Ruthie slept majority of the train ride to London. As she got off the train, she looked at the letter Tommy had sent her to verify the hotel name and then found her a cab. As they pulled in front of the hotel the cab driver helped her get her bags and she walked in.   
Le Charmante was a beautiful hotel with red and gold satin chairs, white and gold mosaic floors, and a large crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling. Ruthie looked around and immediately felt out of place. Everyone in the building wore posh suits and dresses. There was nothing in Ruthie's bag that belonged in this hotel. She walked up to the counter and the clerk asked her name.  
"Uh, Ruthie Borofsky?" Ruthie replied unsure of whether the room would be in her name or Tommy's.  
The clerk eyed her worn dress, pursed his lips, and looked at his books. As he ran down the list of names in his book, Ruthie began to have second thoughts about her being here. Finally, the clerk looked at her, his lips still pursed in disapproval. He turned to open a small cabinet and pulled out a gold key.  
"Room 263. Would you like someone to carry your, um, bag?" He asked eying her battered luggage.  
"No, I can carry it."  
"Mmm." He responded turning from her.  
Ruthie walked up the stairs and found her room. As she opened the door she looked around. The room matched the lobby. Everything was outlined in gold with red and white accents, and the bed! The bed in her room was huge. She touched the red bedding and couldn't believe the silkiness of the sheets. She laid down and was drawn into the softness of the bed and it didn't take long until she had fallen asleep.  
An hour later Ruthie woke to a knock on her door. Hurrying, she got up and walked to open it.  
"You made it. Good." Tommy said with a nod.  
"Yeah, not long ago actually." She responded as she rubbed her eye.  
"Ruthie! Are you ready? The girls are going shopping." Ada said cheerfully as she walked in the hall from her room.  
"Yeah! And it's on the company." Lizzie responded, emphasizing the last three words of her sentence with an eyebrow raise at Tommy.  
There was an upward turn of Tommy's lip and he gestured to Lizzy. "Yes, on the company. So, if you spend all the money on clothes, not only will we all starve but we will also have to walk back to Birmingham."  
"As company treasurer I can assure you we won't spend ALL of the money on clothes. We'll need shoes too." Responded Polly, shepherding the other women to the stairs.  
Ruthie didn't know much about Lizzy, Linda, or Esme other than Linda and Esme were married to Arthur and John and Lizzie worked for the company. Polly gave her more history on the three "non-blood" members of the group as they started their journey. As they approached the first store of the day Ruthie looked in the windows. Everything was satin or silk. There were also dresses with so much beading that Ruthie wondered if it would be heavy to wear. They walked in the store and Ruthie strolled around admiring from a distance. She knew there was no way she could afford to purchase anything here. She watched as the women touched and held up the dresses. Eventually Ada noticed Ruthie watching them emptyhanded and walked over to her.  
"See anything you like?" Ada asked.  
"Oh, no. I'm fine." Ruthie responded with a small smile.  
Ada looked as a dress beside Ruthie. "Here why don't you try this one on?"  
Ruthie stared at the dress. It was beautiful. A dark wine color with silver beading that covered the dress. She wanted to try it on, even if she didn't buy it. She grabbed the dress from Ada and went into a changing room. Walking out, the other women gasped.  
"That looks so lovely on you!" Ada said.  
"Lovely? She will have wives angry at her if she goes out in this." Polly said walking around to examine the fit. "I say you get it!" she said with a seditious look.  
Ruthie turned to look in the mirror. It flowed so beautifully and accentuated her figure. She sighed, "No, I can't."  
"Why can't you?" Ada asked disappointed.  
Ruthie said nothing just continued to look at the dress she could never afford.  
Polly and Ada made eye contact and Ada walked on to continue shopping. Polly walked up the Ruthie and looked at her in the mirror.  
"We weren't having a laugh when we said it was on the company. Everything we buy this weekend will be paid for by Shelby Company Limited." Polly said.  
"I can't accept your money… I'm not that type of person." Ruthie responded assertively.  
"Shelby Company Limited is a family business. Your last name is Shelby, even if you don't own up to it…. Buy the dress."  
In the end Ruthie bought the dress and silver heels to match, then the group of ladies visited four other stores before returning to the hotel. Once at the hotel they went into their separate hotel rooms and unpacked their purchases. Ruthie was happy with the one dress she bought and laid it out on the bed to admire it. About five minutes after getting settled there was a knock at her door. She opened it to find three shopping bags at her doorstep. She knelt down to peek inside and found a note.  
Ruthie,  
We saw these and thought they would look perfect on you. We knew you would be too stubborn to accept them in the store so, we bought them without your permission. Enjoy.  
Ruthie was furious! How dare they! She picked up the bags and knocked on Ada's door.  
"Were these from you?" Ruthie insisted.  
"No, they're from the company." Ada responded smiling  
"Why can't you all just respect that I do not want your money and stop trying to force it on me!"  
"But,…."  
By this time, the whole family had opened their doors to see who was shouting.  
"No! No buts! I don't want handouts! If I have something, it's because I earn it. I work hard, and I earn it."  
"Yeah, and how's that working out for you?" John asked.  
"What's that supposed to mean?" Ruthie's face felt red hot. She couldn't remember the last time she had been this angry.  
Turning she walked back into her room and slammed the door. A minute later there was a knock. Ruthie didn't respond.  
Tommy opened the door and saw Ruthie shaking with anger, staring out the window. He cleared his throat.  
Ruthie turned around, "What?"  
Tommy eyed her and sighed. "Look," he started as he sat on the end of the bed. "You've had a rough life…. You work hard, and you can get by on your own. We respect that. We didn't grow up with money either. We didn't have anything until we started fighting for it." He paused." We can't change what our father did, and we can't bring your mother back. We can't do anything about the past. The only thing we can do is buy you these dresses and pay for your holiday while you're here in London with us. Money can't change the past, but it's all we have that we can give you." There was a sincerity in his eyes that made Ruthie's anger vanish.  
"Alright. I will accept the dresses. But no more sneaking around to buy me things! Deal?"  
Tommy smiled and nodded. Then they both spit in their hands and shook.  
The remainder of the evening went by without a problem. They got dolled up, went to dinner and finished with drinks at a local club. When Saturday came, they had all agreed to going dancing. Ruthie wore her wine and silver dress and danced with her new family. After having too much rum at Tommy's, Ruthie decided to only have one glass on Saturday. The rest of her family however, had much more than one glass. By the time they all stumbled to bed, it was late, and Ruthie was exhausted.  
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________  
Ruthie had gotten up before the sun for so long that she cursed her internal clock on Sunday morning. She had only gotten four hours of sleep and, after an hour of trying to force herself back asleep, she resigned to getting up. She put on a new satin, steel blue dress that went to the top of her shins, some black t-strapped heels and went out to the street. She knew her family wouldn't be up for hours so to pass the time she thought she would have a walk around London. As she walked out of the hotel, she remembered a comment by Tommy about a Jewish community called Camden Town and decided she would explore there this morning. As she approached Camden, the sky was turning pink. She could hear people stirring inside their homes and she continued to walk examining the shop windows and comparing them to Salford. She could hear doors opening and closing behind her and footsteps beginning to hit the pavement. The sound of footsteps reminded her of Simon. She began to listen to the footsteps, wondering if he had followed her to London. She heard a clink every other step and her heart relaxed. Simon didn't carry a walking stick or a cane. She continued walking, still aware of the footsteps behind her and only when a shop door opened for the owner to throw out dirty mop water did she turn around.


	9. Chapter 9

Alfie's day had started like any other. He woke up, got dressed, cooked himself breakfast and grabbed his gold cane as he walked out the door. Shutting the door behind him, he walked down the steps of his house and ventured up the road. He had been walking only a few steps when he finally looked ahead of him and saw a woman in a steel blue dress. Alfie looked at her feet and allowed his eyes to travel up. He admired her smooth, feminine legs before running his eyes up and looking at her hips. Her hips swayed with each step she took in a way that awakened something primal in him. Shaking that out of his head, he followed his eyes up her back and watched her loose curls bounce. Involuntarily his eyes wandered back down to watch the sway of her dress.  
Suddenly a door opened and one of the shop owners threw out their mop water. As they did so, she turned around, a light breeze catching her hair.  
For a moment Alfie thought he was still asleep. The sun had just broken the horizon and was casting a glow around the woman, whose eyes had locked with his. After assessing it wasn't a dream, he walked up to her.  
"Lost?" He asked, noticing her front was just as enticing as her back. Though, maybe not when she walked.  
"No, just having a look about."  
"Mmm." He nodded. "Where you from, treacle?"  
"Not here." She said vaguely.  
Alfie scoffed with a smile. "Well, I know that. I know everyone in this fucking town. But I don't know you, do I?"  
"You know everyone here?" Ruthie replied with a small laugh. "Is that a good thing?"  
"Depends who you ask."  
Ruthie looked down and tried to suppress a smile, then cut her eyes, looking through her long lashes at Alfie.  
"So, you're just having a look about are you?" He asked.  
"Mhm. I, um, live in a different Jewish community up north. Thought I would look around while I was on a small holiday." Ruthie thought for a moment and added with an overdramatic sigh, "I hope I don't get lost."  
Alfie grinned and played along. "Well I don't know if anyone has told you, but I know everyone in this place so…." He shrugged.  
"A tour would be lovely, thank you." Ruthie said an innocent tone, as if she hadn't planned on him offering.  
Hooking her hand through his offered arm, they walked around the town, Alfie pointing out different businesses and telling her various stories that made her laugh. He had strong arms, she noticed. He didn't have a limp or any reason that would suggest he needed a cane, but she didn't ask about it. Finally, they sat at a table outside a little restaurant. Every time she looked at him, he was staring at her. She felt vulnerable, as if he could see into her soul. A man walked up to their table and began to talk in Alfie's ear, which Ruthie took as the perfect opportunity to examine her "tour guide". He had nice strong shoulders to match his strong arms. A light brown beard with a scar on his right jaw, and deliciously full lips. As the man talked, Ruthie watched as Alfie's brow furrowed. She couldn't deny, he was a beautiful man.  
After getting hushed instruction from Alfie, the other man left.  
"Unfortunately, treacle," Alfie said as he stood, "I have business."  
"I should probably get back; my party will wonder where I've gone." Before Ruthie or Alfie could say any more, they were interrupted once more by men seeking instruction. Not wanting to be a distraction, Ruthie slipped away quietly. By the time Alfie had finished telling his men what to do, he looked up and Ruthie was turning the corner. What was her name?  
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________  
Ruthie made it back to the hotel just in time to sit with the hungover Shelby clan and say their goodbyes, then she boarded her train. She had laughed more this morning, and this weekend, than she had in a long time. She had dismissed Simon from her thoughts. It would do no good to let that ruin the high that the weekend had given her. She slept peacefully in her own bed that night and proceeded the next morning as usual to work.  
That evening, Ruthie was asked to close the bakery by herself as she had done many times before. She was wiping the front of the counter when the door opened and closed behind her.  
"What did you forget this time, Eleanor?" Ruthie said over her shoulder, her cheerful mood still in full swing.  
"Hello, Ruthie. How was your trip?"  
It felt as if Ruthie's blood drained from her body.  
"Simon…. We're… we're closed." She said as she slowly spun around.  
"Yes, I know. Everyone's gone. It's just us." He responded.


	10. Chapter 10

Ruthie stood there, trying to slow her breathing. She didn't want to give Simon any inclination that she was frightened. Though the mad look she had seen the other night was gone from his eyes, she knew he was unstable.  
"How was your trip?" He asked again, cocking his head.  
"It was fine, thank you." She responded, trying to sound calm.  
"I wanted to apologize for the other night. You have no reason to be afraid of me Ruthie." He said as he walked closer to her.  
Ruthie took a step back, only to bump into the checkout counter.  
"You see, it's just that you are beautiful…" he started as he drew closer. "and you have flaunted that in front of me. It's almost as if you wanted me to chase after you." He said sweeping a piece of hair from her forehead, his face inches from hers.  
She furrowed her brow, "No, I –"  
"Shhhhh." He interrupted as he put his finger over her mouth.  
Panic overwhelmed her and there was no controlling her racing heart. He stood less than a foot away, between her and the exit.  
"You don't have to deny it. I know. You wanted me to want you. To go mad over you. It's ok." He said so close, she could feel his hot breath on her ear.  
"I swear, I never tried to give you false hope. I—" She tried again. But he slammed his fist on the counter, the mad look in his eye returning.  
"Don't lie to me!" He said between gritted teeth shoving his finger at her.  
Before Ruthie could move or say anything, he grabbed her face with his right hand, his hold so tight it hurt her cheeks, then he pressed his lips to hers.  
Ruthie felt blood inside her mouth from his forceful kiss. She felt around the counter for anything to help her. Finally, she found an empty mead bottle that was supposed to have been thrown out. She picked up the bottle and smashed it on the side of his head, glass cutting her palm as she did so.  
"Ugh!" He exclaimed as he felt his head and then examined his hand for blood. He snarled at her, his eyes turning red and he advanced on her.  
She turned to run around the side of the counter, but he grabbed the long hair that had fallen out of her bun and pulled her back. Holding her hair at the nape of her neck he slammed her forehead onto the counter, and she collapsed on the floor.  
Everything was blurry. Ruthie blinked, disoriented, and saw Simon grab a piece of twine from above the bread shelf. She wasn't sure what he was planning to do with it, but she had no intention to find out. She waited for the right moment and as he began to bend over her, she kicked his face as hard as she could and heard his nose break.  
Simon stumbled back, his hands clasped over his nose as blood began to run down his wrists and forearms. Ruthie stumbled to her feet and ran out the door pulling anything she could grab to the ground behind her in the hope that it would slow him down.  
Ruthie ran as fast as she could, not stopping or slowing to look behind her. "Ruthie!" She heard him yell angrily in his pursuit. She finally reached her door. She attempted to shut it behind her at the same time that he reached it. She pushed with all her weight to shut the door, but her strength was no match for his. He stuck his hand on the edge of the door, preventing it from closing. As she began to panic, she glanced over and saw a knife on counter beside the door and grabbed it. She stabbed at his hand and he moved his hand allowing her enough time to shut and bolt the door. Never in her life had she been so happy live in such a small house.  
"You fucking bitch!" He yelled through the door. "Open this door!" He said as he attempted the doorknob.  
She put her back against the door hoping with all her might the hinges and lock would hold as he banged on the door yelling at her to open.  
"You'll regret this! I know people, powerful people Ruthie!" He yelled as he slammed his bloody palm on the door. "If you won't be with me, then you won't be with anyone. I'll make sure of that!"  
Silence fell on the outside of the door and Ruthie remained standing there, unmoving with the knife in her hand.


	11. Chapter 11

Ruthie didn't sleep that night. By morning she had dropped to the floor, still leaning against her door, knees up to her chest, and knife still in her hand. She stared at the wall in front of her in a fog, what if he came back? Simon knew everything about her life in Salford. He knew what where she worked, where she lived, what time she went to work and what time she got off. He isn't going to stop. He made sure I knew that. She thought over and over to herself. Finally, the sun shining through her window had crossed the room. She didn't know what time it was, noon or 1:30 maybe? She asked herself.  
Finally, she got off the floor, her legs and back stiff from sitting in one position for so long. She grabbed her still packed luggage, moved her mirror, took all of her money out, and walked out the door. She walked the alleys, taking the long way to the train station. She didn't want to talk to anyone, and she especially didn't want to run into Simon.  
She kept her head down the entire way to the train station. It wasn't until she got to the ticket box that she realized she was still holding her knife. Quickly she shoved it in her bag. Keeping her head down so no one could see her she asked for a ticket, paid and went to board.  
The 15 minutes she had to wait for her train was the longest wait she had ever had. Every noise, every footstep made her jump. Finally, it was time for her to get on her train and she boarded, promising herself she wouldn't be back.  
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________  
Tommy Shelby's Tuesday was full of fighting. He had broken up three fights in his factories and fought with different people on the phone from Polly to coppers and the like. When it was finally time for him to go home it was well after 7 o'clock. He enjoyed his drive home, it allowed him to think clearly about any business dealings he had going on.  
As he pulled up his driveway, he could see in the distance a person sitting on the bottom step leading to his door. It wasn't until he had parked and gotten out of his car that he realized who it was.  
Ruthie sat there on the cold marble step, unmoving and unblinking. When she had gotten to the train station, the first place that came to mind was Birmingham. She reluctantly got a ride to Tommy's house, not taking her eyes off her driver. The man simply glanced back at her, clearly worried and wanting to ask if she was alright,, but he didn't. When he dropped her off at Tommy's she attempted to give him money but he wouldn't accept it, mumbling something about her not being in a right state and that accepting money would cost him his eyes, She didn't know what he was talking about nor did she care. She got out of the car and noticing Tommy's car wasn't there, sat down on the steps.  
She had been there for at least four hours, though she hadn't kept track. As Tommy approached her worry began to build inside him. Her hair was a mess, only half of it had remained in her bun, the other half was matted and dirty. Her hands, he noticed, were covered in dirt and blood, her right hand swollen and injured. Her dress matched the rest of her, dirty and bloody. When he finally said her name, she slowly looked at him. She had dried blood running from her forehead down to her purple and swollen right eye. She was almost unrecognizable.  
Tommy knelt to be at eye level with her. "Ruthie, what happened?"  
Slowly as if just realizing he was there; tears began to well in her eyes. Her breathing picked up and she buried her face in her hands, sobbing for the first time since the attack. Tommy put his hand on her shoulder, and she threw her arms around his neck burying her face in his chest as she sobbed. They stood and Tommy held his new-found sister until she began to calm.  
As her breathing slowed and she could speak he asked her again what happened.  
"He attacked me." Was all she could say between heaving breaths.  
"Who?"  
Ruthie closed her eyes and shook her head as more tears began to fall.  
"Ruthie, who attacked you? I need you to tell me." He insisted.  
Ruthie simply began to shake as she sobbed into her hands once more. Realizing she was too shaken to give a name, Tommy lead her inside and told the maid to make up a room and a bath for her. He settled her in a chair in the sitting room, poured her a glass of rum, and handed it to her. She sat there shaking until she finally took a sip and closed her eyes. She didn't know what it was about this rum, but the moment it hit her throat she began to calm, her tears stopping. Ruthie looked up at Tommy who looked down at her, worry lining his face.  
"Um, I'm sorry. I didn't know where else to go. I should have called or… or something." She said quickly  
"No, you don't have to call. You did the right thing, alright? But I need you to tell me who attacked you." He insisted once more  
"It doesn't matter, I'm never going back." She said her voice catching.  
Tommy looked at her. She wasn't ready to talk about it. He would give her time and try again. The maid came down and said a room had been prepared as well as a bath and Ruthie followed her up the stairs to her room. It was a lovely room, nice, just like the rest of the house. But Ruthie didn't notice. She walked into the adjoining bathroom and began to undress.  
Once in the bath she noticed the water was growing red and brown from her filth. She scrubbed the blood from her hands, not knowing if the blood was hers or Simon's. Gently she washed her face, noticing the knot she had on her forehead. When she had washed her hair she got out, wrapped herself in a robe, and stared at her reflection. Every bruise or scrape played a flashback in her head of the night before. After looking at her forehead and her swollen eye she began to look in all the drawers in the bathroom. She searched everything, even the bedroom drawers and cabinets until she found a pair of scissors. Walking back into the bathroom she grabbed half of her waist length hair and cut. She proceeded to cut the other side until her hair was even and resting on her shoulders. Once she had finished, she walked into the bedroom and sat on the end of the bed.  
Her adrenaline had all gone, and the sleepless night had caught up with her. Her eyelids began to sag, and her head began to throb. I just need to lay down for a minute, she thought to herself. When she awoke the sun was still shining. The maid had unpacked her bag while she slept, so choosing something from the wardrobe she dressed and went downstairs to talk to Tommy.  
She found him in his study talking to Polly. They both looked at her as she walked in the room.  
"I'm sorry, I was exhausted. Must have nodded off." She apologized.  
Tommy and Aunt Polly exchanged looks.  
"Yes, you did nod off….. two days ago." Polly told her.  
"What?" Ruthie asked.  
"You showed up here on Tuesday evening. It's Thursday morning."  
Ruthie looked at Tommy, who nodded. "Oh." At that moment Ruthie's stomach growled.  
Polly gave a grin, "The maid can bring you up something for breakfast."  
"Okay, um, but first I was hoping to talk to Tommy." Polly didn't move, instead she put a cigarette in her mouth and, as she lit it, noticed Ruthie looking at her.  
"Oh, don't let me stop you." She said as she waved smoke out of her face. "He's going to tell me anyways."  
Ruthie looked at Tommy, who gave a small motion of his head as if to say, "She's right, I probably will." So, Ruthie went on.  
"I'm not used to having to do this. But, um, I was hoping I could stay for a few days. Or… I guess a few more days…" She added as she remembered she had been here two days already. "Just until I get some things sorted out."  
Tommy Grinned and nodded. "It's a big house. Stay as long as you'd like." Ruthie awkwardly smiled and nodded her head.  
"Right. Okay. Um, I will just uh, go find something to eat then."  
Days went by and Ruthie had yet to decide what she was going to do or where she was going to go.  
"Why don't you just stay here. Birmingham isn't all bad." Ada said. "We can go find you a nice house, somewhere suitable for you."  
"Suitable by what? Shelby standards? I could never afford a house like this or one like you all live in."  
Ruthie had already told Tommy, the company buying her a house was out of the question. She already felt bad imposing on Tommy's house and would hide money in various places in his study, knowing he wouldn't accept rent from her. Little did she know Tommy found the money, gave it to the maid, and the maid would put it back in Ruthie's money stash when she was cleaning.  
Her eye had healed, and she had adjusted to her short hair. Even Birmingham was starting to grow on her. Once Tommy had agreed to letting her work in their gambling den, Ruthie felt like she had purpose again. Working was the only thing she knew to do. It didn't matter what kind, as long as she was doing something useful. Twice a week she made her famous babka and usually another type of bread, and the whole family would come to Tommy's to enjoy.  
After three weeks had passed and Tommy finally decided to approach her again about the incident.  
"Are you going to tell me who it was that attacked you?"  
"Why? I'm never going back, and he didn't even know about you lot so, he won't come looking for me." She shrugged "I just want to forget about it."  
"By now you know what we do. We are bad people Ruthie. And we protect our own."  
"Will you take his eyes?" She asked.  
His silence at her question made her understand they would do much worse than take his eyes. Remembering Simon's words 'I know people, powerful people….' she looked down. She didn't want her family to get hurt. He didn't know where she was, the best thing for her to do was to forget about Salford and everyone in it and move on.  
"I really just want to move on."  
Tommy sighed in frustration and rubbed his brow. "Alright. If that's what you want." Tommy was not used to not getting answers when he asked for them. But he accepted what she wanted and dropped the conversation.  
At that time, the maid walked in, "Sir, there is someone here to see you."  
Tommy walked out of his study, Ruthie in his wake. As they approached the parlor, Ruthie saw him. A handsome Jewish man with a gold cane.


	12. Chapter 12

Alfie looked down the hallway as Tommy came closer and spotted her. He creased his brow, curious of why the woman he met in Camden was with Tommy Shelby. Immediately, he thought Tommy had set the encounter up somehow. As if he wanted Alfie to meet her and reveal information to her. Thinking back of everything they discussed, Alfie couldn't remember her asking questions about his business dealings or the "bakery". As he watched her walk closer, his eyes slowly made their way to look at her hips. Not wanting Tommy to notice him staring at her he moved his eyes to rest on his face.  
"Tommy? There is a Jewish woman in your house." Alfie said as if Tommy hadn't noticed.  
"Yes, this is Ruthie….." he hesitated, unsure of whether or not to introduce her as Shelby.  
Ruthie interjected and, taking a step closer to Alfie said, "Borofsky."  
Tommy wasn't surprised to hear her not claim the Shelby name. He knew she didn't really consider herself a part of the family, but he still gave her a look as he repeated, "Borofsky. Ruthie, this is Alfie Solomons."  
"Solomons?..." Ruthie thought for a moment. "You make the rum?"  
Her emphasis on the word 'you' made Tommy pause.  
"Mmm." Alfie replied with a slight nod of his head. There was a sincerity in her question that made him realize, Tommy hadn't sent her to Camden. "You've been drinking my rum?" he said the corners of his mouth turning up.  
"I've had a little too much a time or two." She said with a small chuckle. "Tommy likes whisky, but rum has always been my drink of choice." She admitted.  
Alfie didn't take his eyes off her. Feeling her face begin to blush she looked down and bit the corner of her lip. His gaze always made her feel so vulnerable and she couldn't decide if she liked or hated it.  
Tommy observed the scene and could read Alfie's thoughts as he gazed at her. Ruthie looked up and locked eyes with Alfie. It wasn't until Tommy cleared his throat and said, "Well Alfie, let get started then, eh?" that they broke eye contact. Ruthie looked at Tommy and could see that he was displeased. She turned with one small glance back at Alfie and walked into the sitting room, Alfie turning his head slightly to watch her walk.  
Once they were in the study, Tommy took out a cigarette, looked at Alfie and asked "So, how do you know my sister?"  
At these words, Alfie's smile faded and the crease on his brow returned. "You're what?"  
"Ruthie is my sister." Tommy said matter-of-factly.  
Alfie said nothing. He ran his hand over his mustache and down to his beard, thinking. Finally, he said "She was in Camden ‘bout a month ago. "  
They eyed each other suspiciously.  
"So, your sister is posing as a Jew."  
Tommy noticed this wasn't a question, but a statement.  
"She is a Jew. She's my half-sister. Her mother was a Jew. She was raised Jewish."  
They continued to eye each other. Tommy wanted to warn Alfie to stay away from Ruthie but, knowing Alfie that would only make him pursue her more intently. Meanwhile Alfie had a wave of disappointment. She was half gypsy. And Tommy Shelby's sister. Alfie knew Tommy took family very seriously and that he would consider any sort of dealings between Alfie and Ruthie crossing a line. At this point, Alfie couldn't afford to piss of Tommy Shelby. He needed him for this deal.  
Meanwhile out in the sitting room Ruthie poured herself a glass of rum and sat down. Why had Tommy looked so displeased with her? As she was thinking, Polly came in.  
"Where's Tommy? I need to discuss something with him." She said as she poured herself some whiskey.  
"He's in a meeting. With a Mr. Solomons." Ruthie said watching Polly's reaction.  
"Well that explains why there are men sitting in a car outside."  
"Who is he?" Ruthie asked  
"Alfie Solomons? Just a gangster in London. Owns a rum distillery as well as some other businesses." Polly took a sip of her drink. "He almost killed Arthur once."  
Ruthie's eyebrows shot up, "He what?"  
"Mhm, then he betrayed Tommy, twice. But Tommy still trusts him enough to do business with him." She said shrugging. "Alfie is valuable when we need him. But if he had the opportunity, Alfie would bring us all down."  
Ruthie's head spun, it all made sense now.  
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________  
After the meeting, Alfie walked out and stopped in the parlor to look at Ruthie. She was sitting in a chair reading. Silently, she glanced up and saw him watching her. Tommy, standing behind him waited to see what Alfie's response would be. Ruthie and Alfie both looked at each other, a slight disappointment in their expressions. Damn, I really wanted to grab those hips. Alfie thought as he walked out of the house and left Birmingham.  
Once he left, Tommy looked at Ruthie, who stared back. She was worried. Had she crossed a line? Was she too friendly with him? She couldn't get kicked out now, all she had was her new family, she didn't want to lose that.  
Tommy cleared his throat.  
"I didn't know who he was when I met him." Ruthie said quickly.  
"When did you go to Camden Town?"  
"Sunday morning of our London trip. I had woken early and went for a walk. I remembered you said there was a Jewish community there and I wanted to see it."  
"What happened between the two of you?"  
Ruthie knew what he was asking, "No! Nothing happened we just walked, that’s all….. You think I'm that unchaste that I would sleep with a man I'd just met in the middle of the day?" She made sure she threw in the middle of the day as she had most certainly been with men she had just met. But that was the result of too much to drink.  
"I don't care if you sleep with men, or what time of day you do it as long as they are decent men. Alfie is dangerous."  
"Nothing happened between us. He simply gave me a tour and told me extravagantly bold stories that I'm not even sure are true. I swear, that's all."  
Tommy looked at her. He could see the worry and apology on her face.  
"I want you to stay away from him, Ruthie. He's unpredictable. We can't afford anything to happen to you, or to the company. Do you understand?  
"Yes, I understand."  
"I need your word Ruthie."  
"You have my word." She said meaning every syllable.  
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________  
That night Ruthie had her bath and as she walked into her room, she began to take off her robe. In the corner of her eye she saw her bedroom door open. She looked to see Alfie standing there, watching her. He began walking closer to her and she turned to face him. As he reached her, he put his finger under her chin, lifting her face and right before he kissed her... she woke up.


	13. Chapter 13

A week later Ruthie went into the dining room for breakfast.  
"How did you sleep" Tommy asked looking at his newspaper.  
"Fine." Ruthie said quickly, causing him to glance up at her curiously.  
The truth is, Ruthie had dreamt of Alfie every night since seeing him in the parlor. She could never tell Tommy, or Polly, or anyone for that matter. Especially since the contents of the dreams made her blush just thinking about them.  
As they finished eating, the remainder of the family staggered in. As they sat down Tommy started the family meeting.  
"Alright, as some of you know, we are going to London's Wealthy Charity Ball this weekend. All of England's wealthiest inhabitants will be there, loaded with jewelry, bars of gold, and cash to donate. Now, we have sources at the club that say the donations will be held in the back office, guarded by two armed security men until the end of the ball. That same source is how we received our invitations. We have joined forces with Alfie to get this done.  
At the mention of Alfie's name, Ruthie looked down quickly as if afraid someone would see the inhabitants of her dreams in her eyes.  
"This event is big, the biggest charity event this club has had. No one gets through the back door without permission from the owner and organizer. We are going to remove the two security men and replace them with one of ours and one of Alfie's. The women will be there to help distract from our absence while we sneak in the back. Johnny Dogs will be outside in his truck to get our share and bring it back to Birmingham, then we will rejoin the party until it is finished. Understood?"  
Ruthie looked around; everyone was nodding. She was confused. She had never accepted money from anyone until she had accepted from the Shelby's, and she certainly had never stolen money. Tommy, noticing her hesitation looked at her.  
"Ruthie, can you do this?" He asked, making it clear her answer was to be honest and definite.  
She thought for a minute and finally said, "Yes."  
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________  
That weekend they traveled back to London, staying at Le Charmante once more. On the night of the fundraiser the women were all in Polly's room getting ready. They had all bought extravagant dresses. Ruthie had found an emerald green satin dress that dropped low in the back, almost too low, and hugged her figure elegantly. She had her hair pinned up with a diamond hairpiece and she wore a deep red lipstick to match her ruby necklace. As she picked up her necklace, she examined it. It was gold and had a line of white diamonds that went down her chest until it reached a large ruby that sat just above her breasts. Looking at herself in the mirror, she hesitated. In a little more than a month she went from being all alone in a slum house, working in a bakery to having a large family, wearing very expensive clothes and jewelry, and planning to rob a charity. Needing to get some air she stepped into the hallway. As she did so, Tommy was walking up from the stairs.  
He watched her, noticing the troubled look on her face.  
"Everything alright?" He asked.  
She nodded and looked up at him. He could see the concern in her eye.  
"Do you know what they plan to do with the donations Ruthie?"  
"The invitation said they are going to build a new orphanage."  
"That's what the invitation says but we have good information that the owner of the club and the organizer of the event are going to use the funds to bribe the elected officials to do their bidding. And the first thing on their agenda is to remove the children from the London orphanage so they can buy the building and turn it into a high-end, underground brothel."  
Ruthie looked up at him, shocked. "They're just going to throw the children out? Where will they go?"  
"They don't care."  
"So, what? You all think we are doing some good deed by stealing the money?" Ruthie said incredulously.  
"The children in the London Orphanage will get to stay and part of our share will go to our children's home. The rest we will split amongst ourselves. I don't know what Alfie plans to do with his share. We need this to work, Ruthie. Don't go in there if you can't handle it. Stay here if you need."  
She thought for a moment. "I'm going." She said finally, with determination.  
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________  
As they arrived at the ball, Ruthie walked through the doors in awe. The chandelier hanging from the ceiling was bigger than the one at Le Charmante and the crystals reflected small rainbows all over the ceiling. She followed her family to a corner where they awaited their drinks.  
Alfie was already at the ball by the time the Shelby family arrived. As they walked in, he noticed Ruthie. When he laid eyes on her his mouth went dry. There wasn't a woman in the building that looked as beautiful and elegant as she did. As she made her way to the corner of the room, his eyebrows shot up. Fuck! He thought appreciatively. The back of her dress dropped low, exposing majority of her back. It was very risqué, Alfie thought, though, he didn't mind. The dress would definitely draw attention to her from the men. The women would also notice, though he didn't think they would be as appreciative as their male counterparts.  
Taking a drink of his whiskey he walked over to meet the Shelby's.  
"Well, Fuck me. Tommy Shelby is that you?" Alfie said spreading his arms as if he intended on giving Tommy a hug.  
"Hello Alfie." Tommy responded with a slight smile. Tommy couldn't help but laugh at the mannerisms and clever words of his Jewish comrade.  
Ruthie looked at Alfie and her breathing began to quicken. Alfie wore his usual black pants, black coat, white shirt, black hat, and white scarf. Though, all of his clothes looked nicely tailored and brand new. He was undoubtedly true to who he was, she thought. He made a quick glance in her direction and she immediately looked away. She was not going to forget the promise she made to Tommy.  
Not long after they had received their drinks, a portly man with a thick gray mustache walked up.  
"Tommy Shelby, OBE! So glad you could join us tonight. I'm Henry O'Connor, I own –"  
"Oh yes, I know who you are Mr. O'Connor. You have done a marvelous job tonight, sir. " Tommy said, flattering the club owner.  
Tommy proceeded to introduce the members of the family. Before he had gotten to Ruthie, who coincidently was standing right beside Alfie, Mr. O'Connor interjected.  
"Ah, yes. Mr. Solomons isn't it?" He said holding out his hand to Alfie and looked at Ruthie. "And this must be your wife! Forgive me for saying so, but you do look very lovely tonight, Mrs. Solomons."  
Ruthie started to correct him but, noticing Tommy's slight head shake behind Mr. O'Connor, didn't.  
"Thank you, sir. It's a very lovely ball and I am very privileged to be here." She said with a smile.  
"Oh, my dear, it's a privilege to have you here in that dress." Ruthie looked at him in surprise as he leaned over to Alfie and muttered, "You are a lucky man Mr. Solomons."  
Alfie smiled and replied, "For the right price, you could be a lucky man, Mr. O'Connor."  
Ruthie's mouth dropped open. Alfie looked at Mr. O'Connor, sizing him up. O'Connor looked at Ruthie, who's brow was furrowed said in a whisper to Alfie "We'll talk later." Then he walked away.  
Ruthie was furious.  
"Who do you think you are? I'm not a whore!" She angrily to Alfie who looked at her, a chuckle almost leaving his throat.  
"Calm down treacle, it was only a joke."  
Ruthie scoffed, "I don't think he knew that!"  
"Don't worry love, I don't share wives…. Well, at least not my own."  
"Wives? How many do you have exactly?"  
"Just you, sweetheart. Just you." He said with a wink as he turned to Tommy to whisper business.  
Ruthie didn't like this. She promised Tommy she would stay away from him, now she had to pretend to be married to him. As Alfie went to the bar to refill his whiskey, Ruthie went to Tommy.  
"I'm sorry. The man just assumed we were married." She said.  
"I know, it's alright. We want to keep Mr. O'Connor on our good side so let him believe it. It's just a few hours then you can be single again."  
"What happened to 'give me your word you'll stay away from him'" Ruthie said in a mock-Tommy voice.  
"And you will stay away from him. But, right now I need you to make this believable. It's business Ruthie, just until the ball is over."  
Ruthie looked over at her temporary husband. There are so many ways this could go wrong.


	14. Chapter 14

Ruthie waited anxiously as Alfie came back with his drink. When he returned, the group decided it was time to start socializing and they all began to go their different directions. Alfie looked at her, he examined the big ruby on her chest and followed its direction, looking down her dress at her breasts. Focus Alfie. He said to himself. Eyeing the crowd, Alfie grabbed her arm. Jumping at his touch, she looked at him.  
"Calm down." He said quietly. "If we are supposed to sell this you can't jump out of your knickers every time I come near you, alright?" Alfie smiled to himself. Actually, It might not be such a bad evening if she jumped out of her knickers.  
Ruthie didn't say anything. That's easy for you to say, she thought. The truth was being in the same room with him put her on edge, but in all the right ways.  
They made their way around the room, Ruthie posing as the dutiful wife standing by her husband smiling. Alfie told stories of the war, and stories that made surrounding crowd, including Ruthie, laugh. He was such a smart-ass, but his clever use of words and body language made him almost charming in her eyes, and the eyes of others in the room. A few women entered into conversation with Ruthie about her dress and her necklace. Eventually, Ruthie wandered to the bar to get another glass of champagne.  
"Evening." A tall dark headed man said to her.  
"Good evening." Ruthie replied with a polite smile.  
"Can I get you a drink?"  
"Oh, um, no. I'm just going to grab a glass of champagne."  
"I insist." He said as he summoned the bartender.  
Ruthie waited as he told the bartender to bring two glasses of champagne. Taking one of the glasses from him she said, "Thank you, I really should be going now."  
He grabbed her hand and she looked up at him. "Please, you look very beautiful. I would love know your name."  
At that time Alfie walked up, a scowl on his face. "Problem sweet?" He said not taking his eyes off the dark-headed man. Alfie squinted his eyes slightly at the man. He was angry. Was this jealousy? Ruthie asked herself.  
"Excuse me, we were talking here." The man said.  
"Mmm." Alfie grunted, "well next time you decide to ….talk… keep your hands off my fucking wife."  
The man looked from Alfie to Ruthie, as if expecting Ruthie to deny that she was his wife. Knowing she couldn't do that, Ruthie stood silently beside Alfie. Thinking he had crossed a line, the man reluctantly apologized and walked away. After he had left Alfie turned to Ruthie.  
"How do you think it looks when my wife is letting other men get her drinks and grab her?" He asked angrily.  
Ruthie's eyebrows shot up. "I was simply getting a drink. He started talking to me. And, in case you haven't forgotten. We aren't actually married!"  
"The room thinks we are. And until we get in the back, they have to keep thinking we are."  
As he turned to walk away, she shot back, "Are you sure you weren't just jealous?"  
He slowly turned back to her, "Jealous? Of him?" He scoffed as he got closer. "Trust me treacle. I'm not jealous of him." He said in a low voice, the tension between them rising.  
Suddenly, John was there throwing his arm over Ruthie's shoulders.  
"So, how's the happy couple?" He mocked, a huge smile covering his face.  
"Not good. I'm thinking about running away with the butler." Ruthie teased.  
John laughed, "Well, just make sure you clean out the safe when you do." He said pointing at her, giving her instruction as he walked away.  
The band began to play a slow jazz number and Alfie grabbed her elbow, leading her to the dance floor. As he pulled her close, he put his hand on the small of her back, feeling her soft skin. He closed his eyes, Focus Alfie, he said again to himself. Ruthie was anxious being so close to him. Her breathing was tense, and her mind was racing. What is he doing?  
"You see that man over there?" Alfie whispered in her ear as he slowly turned them.  
"The one by the door?" She asked trying to focus on the man she was looking at rather than the man who was whispering to her.  
"Mmm." He agreed. "I've been watching him. He is not armed, but he is guarding the door to the back. After they take up donations, he will need to be distracted as they take them to the back. That's the only way we can get in there."  
Ruthie was so close she could feel Alfie's body heat. It felt like electricity was coursing through her body.  
"Can you do that?" He asked.  
"Yes." She replied breathlessly.  
Leaning back enough to look at her he could see her eyes had gone dark. He knew what she was thinking, and it wasn't about the man at the door. Their eyes were locked and she slightly parted her lips. Before either one of them could move or speak, Henry O'Connor grabbed the microphone.  
"HELLO EVERYONE! Thank you so much for coming tonight! As you all know these donations are going to mean so much to the little misfortunate children walking and sleeping in our streets. It is our responsibility as the privileged in society to help these poor children. Please put your donations in the bag as we come around and then we can continue to enjoy our evening, knowing these children will go to bed in a safe environment!"  
He and Mr. Cavill, the organizer of the ball, were the first to put their donations in the bag. As two club workers walked around holding out the back to the crowd, women began to take off their jewelry and opening their bags. The bag came to Alfie and Ruthie and Ruthie took off her ruby necklace and put in the bag while Alfie took a large sum of money out of his pocket and put it in. The bags continued to make their way around the room and after donating, the crowd went back to dancing and conversation. Ruthie had eased her way to the front of the room. The man opened the door to let the donations as well as Mr. O'Connor and Mr. Cavill in.  
Tommy, Alfie, John, and Arthur stood by watching, waiting for an opportunity to get by without anyone noticing. Ruthie looked Alfie in the eye, and he gave her a nod. She had to cause a distraction. Fast. Scanning the room, she saw a waiter carrying a serving tray covered with glasses of champagne and she did the only thing she could think of. She walked into the server, glass breaking, tray falling and champagne going everywhere.  
Ruthie was drenched in champagne. She let out a small scream and touched her dress.  
"You fool! Were you not watching where you were going?" She yelled at the server. She glanced over her shoulder as the server sputtered apologies and saw Alfie smile in her direction as the men walked into the back.  
Thinking quickly, she remembered Tommy explaining there would only be two security men in the back. He didn't account for Mr. O'Connor or Mr. Cavill. If they see any of the Shelby men or Alfie, once the donations disappear it's over, they'll know it was them.  
She began to walk toward the man who was supposed to be guarding the door but had been watching the commotion she had caused. Polly, obviously thinking what Ruthie had been, walked up to the man and started asking him questions. Since he was distracted Ruthie slipped behind the door and into the hallway.  
As she got near the end of the hallway she turned left and gasped as someone covered her mouth.  
"What are you doing?" Tommy asked.  
"My husband told me to distract, so that's what I'm doing."  
"Distract the guy at the door, not us." Alfie said whispered.  
"Trust me!" She insisted and looked at Tommy.  
Slowly he moved out of her way and pointed to a door three doors down on her left.  
As she passed the second door she turned and pointed to it. "You, here" She mouthed and pointed and they quietly began to walk toward her.  
She took a deep breath and opened the third door in a stumble.  
"Oh dear! This is not the loo." She said feigning shock.  
"How did you get back here?" Mr. Cavill insisted furiously. "You shouldn't be back here!"  
"Well, sir, one of the servers poured an entire tray of champagne down me. I was trying to find the toilet so I can clean myself up." Ruthie retorted in anger.  
"This isn't a toilet."  
"Yes, I can see that!" She replied. "But, while I am here… " get them out of the room Ruthie, she thought, "I want my donation back. Me and my husband did not come here so you could spill champagne and ruin my dress!... and look! Look at my hair!" Ruthie went on.  
Clearing his throat, Mr. O'Connor attempted to intervene "Mrs. Solomons. I am so sorry about your dress, but I am afraid we cannot let you go through the bags to find your donation."  
"And why not?" She scoffed.  
"Well, because its…. For… the children. You understand. They need this money." He was trying to think on his feet and doing a poor job at it.  
"Then are you going to do something about that bloody server?"  
Mr. O'Connor hesitated. "Uh…" as he looked at Mr. Cavill, Mr. Cavill jerked his head as if to tell him to go take care of it. "Yes, ma'am I will address it right now." And he left the room  
Mr. Cavill stood there still looking in the bags. Noticing Ruthie was still there he looked at her.  
"Well are you going to show me somewhere I can clean up?" Ruthie demanded.  
Mr. Cavill hesitated and, deciding no one else had gotten past the guard, put the bag down and escorted her down the hall. Once they walked out of the room the two armed guards took their places guarding the jewels. Ruthie walked with Mr. Cavill to find the powder room and he said he would wait outside, not wanting her to wander back in with the jewels. Taking her time, she cleaned her dress and her hair as well as she could. Finally, when she walked out, Mr. Cavill looked very impatient and walked her back to the ball where Mr. O'Connor was firing the server. Ruthie instantly felt horrible for getting the young man fired and went to find a seat. Sitting there she stared at her drink. She knew what it was like to need a job. And now she had gotten some innocent young man fired, just so they can steal jewels.  
A few minutes later, Alfie and Tommy walked up beside her.  
"You did good." Tommy said, but Ruthie didn't look up.  
Tommy and Alfie looked at each other curiously and then back at Ruthie in time to see a tear fall in her glass. Slowly she looked up at them.  
"Was it worth it?" She asked, her eyes red.  
They looked at her, confused, as she continued. "I got a kid fired tonight. All so you can steal money that doesn't belong to you."  
Tommy's face softened as he sat in front of her and leaned forward. "Ruthie, it's okay."  
"No, it's not. Do you know what that's like to have your livelihood stolen from you? How do you know he didn't need this job to feed his family?" She looked at him as if she were demanding he tell her he knew. "Face it. I'm not like the lot of you. I can't just take things from people like that."  
"Ruthie, you think that if you work hard enough everything will fall into place. But that's not how the world works. If you don't take from them, they'll take from you." Ruthie rolled her eyes at him, but Tommy continued, "Look, the world is harsh Ruthie, you of all people know that. If you want something you have to take it, because no one is going to give it to you."  
Ruthie looked down at her glass once more.  
"We will find out who the server is and make sure he gets another job, eh?" Tommy offered and Ruthie nodded her head.  
Standing up she said "I need some air. I will see you back at the hotel."  
Tommy stood up to follow her, but Alfie put his hand on Tommy's chest, stopping him.  
"It won't be long until they find out the donations are gone. If you all leave now, mate, they will suspect you…. I will make sure she gets back to the hotel."  
"You?" Tommy repeated suspiciously.  
"Everyone here thinks she's my wife. Her dress is ruined. It makes sense we would leave together."  
"Alfie. If you even think about touching her…" Tommy's threat trailed off as he stared at Alfie, a warning in his eyes.  
Alfie put his hands up in surrender, "Now, Tommy. You are my best mate. You really think I would betray your trust like that?"  
Tommy continued to eye him.  
"Just walking her to the hotel, mate. Check on her when you get there."  
"I will." Tommy promised.  
And Alfie left to find Ruthie.


	15. Chapter 15

Alfie walked outside and began to scan the streets for Ruthie. It didn't take him long to find her, she was taking her time walking. As he approached her, she jumped.  
"Are you always this fucking jumpy?"  
She rolled her eyes. "What do you want?"  
"Told your brother I would walk you back."  
"And he agreed?" She asked as she looked up at him, knowing Tommy wouldn't want them alone together.  
"It was logical." He shrugged with a menacing smile.  
They continued to walk and Ruthie didn't say anything. Every once in a while he would hear her sniff. After the third time Alfie finally stopped and turned to her.  
"So, what's all this about?" he asked pointing at her tears.  
"Nothing." She said as she began to walk. After two steps she stopped and turned to him. "I just feel bad for stealing like that."  
Alfie scoffed a laugh, "They weren't going to use the money for what they said they were."  
"I know, I just… that server… I got him fired. I know what it's like to be robbed of your livelihood by someone."  
As they walked beside each other he asked, "So, who got you fired, then?"  
"No, not fired." She paused and released a sigh. "A month after meeting the Shelby's I was attacked by a man. He attacked me at work and chased me all the way to my home. The next morning, I gathered what belongings I had and I left a job that I loved and came to Birmingham. I'm still trying to put pieces back together and figure out my next step."  
Alfie's brow furrowed. "A month after meeting the Shelby's?"  
"Mhm. I knew about them of course. But I had never met them."  
"So, when exactly did you meet them?"  
"Two months ago. Before that I hated them." Ruthie said a small laugh to her voice.  
Alfie chuckled.  
"I thought they knew about me this whole time like I did them. When Tommy got his OBE, I got so angry with them. I was all alone and barely had enough to eat and they were living like kings and queens. It wasn't until I met them that I found out they had no idea I existed."  
"If they didn't know about you how did you meet?"  
"Polly of all people showed up at the bakery I worked at and tried to give me money. I thought they were being cheeky, so I showed up at Tommy's office and gave it back. It all grew from there."  
Alfie grunted. "So, a secret Shelby shows up in Tommy's office? Not surprising, them being gypsies an all. There's probably a lot more of you out there."  
Ruthie didn't know how to respond to that. She still didn't claim having any Gypsy blood, but she wanted to defend her family. But, for all she knew, he was right.  
After a pause Alfie asked, "The man what attacked you.. What happened to him?  
"I don't know. I didn't tell anyone I had any family, and I haven't written to anyone. For all I know, he's still out there, waiting for me to come back." The thought of Simon out there waiting by the bakery every day just hoping she would show up made her shudder.  
Alfie took off his jacket and put it around her shoulders. It smelled like him. The jacket was still warm from his body heat, so she inhaled deeply, taking in his scent, and pulled it close around her. She hadn't talked about details of the attack to anyone, but as they walked, she found the words pouring out of her mouth, with the exception of Simon's name. Alfie didn't say anything, he just listened and would grunt occasionally letting her know he was still paying attention. It wasn't long until they were at the hotel front doors and as she began to take off his jacket to hand it to him, she hesitated.  
"Will you walk me up?" She asked and he did so.  
As they approached her door she paused again.  
"I've never told anyone details of the attack before…" As she looked at him tears began to build in her eyes. "I dream about it sometimes."  
Alfie wiped a tear from her cheek and leaned in close, "you're safe now Ruthie. I know Tommy Shelby well enough to know, your attacker is probably already dead." He looked deep in her eyes and unable to control himself he gently kissed her. It was a quick chaste kiss, one that barely allowed their lips to touch.  
Instantly it was as if a fire had been lit inside them both and he pressed her against the outside of the door, his lips firmly on hers. When they finally broke, he looked in her eyes. They were dark again with desire and she licked her bottom lip, keeping it parted.  
"FUCK!" he said in frustration as he turned, taking a step away and putting his hands on his head. Then turning back to look at her he put his hand over his mustache and watched her, thinking. He knew he had to leave, if he were to stay and Tommy Shelby came back to find them in bed together, the divvying of the takings from the job would be compromised.  
Clenching his jaw and removing his hand he looked at her. "Your brother will be back soon." He told her and he walked down the stairs and out of the building without another word.  
Ruthie remained standing against the door, her breathing still rapid. UGH she thought to herself, leaning her head back against the door. Walking in her room she sat on her bed. Not long after she got back, there was a knock on her door. She answered to find Tommy. He peeked around the corner of her door, so she opened it wider.  
"All alone." She said in an annoyed voice.  
Tommy looked at her, she was still in her ruined dress but her hair was down and her lipstick was off. After discussing their plan for tomorrow everyone went into their separate rooms and to bed. All, except Ruthie.  
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________  
Alfie sat in his sitting room, his feet up on the coffee table, reading the paper. He had given up on sleep and was contently reading when there was a knock at his door.  
Looking at his pocket watch, he walked over to open the door.  
Ruthie was standing there, her lipstick gone, her hair down, and still in her emerald green, champagne-stained dress.  
"Ruthie, what are you—"  
"I wasn't sure if this was yours or not." She said breathlessly pointing at the house. "I had to think back when we first met and try to remember which house I walked by before I heard you walking behind me."  
"How did you get here?"  
"I walked." She said nervously  
"You walked? By yourself? In that?" He was frustrated. She had just revealed to him she had been attacked and now she is walking around London in an evening dress that made her look much too enticing. "Why?"  
"Mostly because I was hoping it would change my mind before I got here." She admitted.  
Alfie stared at her. As he did so, she took a step in the doorway and he watched the look in her eyes change. She shut the door slowly behind her, never breaking eye contact with him. They stared at each other as she reached to the side of her dress and unzipped it, letting it fall to the floor. Finally breaking eye contact, he moved his eyes down. Her topless chest was heaving with every breath she took as she stood in front of him in just her skirt slip and stockings. She walked up to him, putting her hands on his chest and leaning up, she kissed him.  
As soon as their lips touched Alfie had ignited. He pushed her once more against the door and began to ravage her mouth with his. She moved her hand to his stomach and began to untuck his shirt. Pulling it over his head, he threw it to the side and continued to kiss her. Their lips broke apart and he began to kiss and suck lightly on her neck.  
"Alfie." She whispered breathlessly in his ear and he immediately picked her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist as he began to walk up the stairs. She Kissed his jawline as he carried her to his room. Kicking the door closed behind him he dropped her on the bed and followed her. As he began to work his mouth down her neck and onto her chest, she tried getting his pants unbuttoned. His pants were tight and she was having trouble with the fastenings of his pants so as he kissed her breasts he reached down and released the button, freeing himself. Ruthie leaned up and grabbed his face as she shook her way out of her slip. They continued kissing as if the world would end if they stopped until Ruthie gasped.  
Alfie let out a low growl as he eased inside her. He began to slowly move inside her as he watched gazing at her. Fuck she's beautiful he thought to himself. Unable to contain himself any longer he sped up, Ruthie moving her hips to match him. He put his face in her neck and closed his eyes, soaking in every noise she made. It wasn't long until her moans began to turn into whines and her legs started to shake. He knew she was close. He whispered a low growl followed by her name in her ear and she whined, her breathing getting faster. He did it again and finally she let go. He continued to move inside her, helping her reach the peak of her climax and as she began to come down he let go himself. They laid there, panting and sweaty until he removed himself and laid beside her.  
He looked over at her to find her already looking at him. Her cheeks rosy and her eyelids heavy, a perfect, post-coital smile on her face. He moved his arm under her neck and she laid her head on his chest and before they could stop themselves, they were fast asleep.  
Ruthie awoke the next morning to the sun shining on her face. As she opened her eyes, it took a moment for the room to come into focus. Leaning up she saw Alfie still asleep and the night before came back to her.  
"FUCK!"


	16. Chapter 16

Ruthie scrambled out of bed, not worrying about waking Alfie. She ran around the room, picking up her slip and one of her stockings. Alfie watched her sleepily.  
Leaning up on his elbows he said, "Going somewhere?" with a smile on his face.  
Looking at him angrily she replied, "This is NOT funny! I have to get back before they realize I'm gone!"  
Alfie, still amused, threw his blanket away and grabbed his pants. Ruthie watched him out of the corner of her eye as he did so. The smile on his face widened as he noticed her looking.  
"Like what you see, love?"  
"No!" said glancing away quickly.  
"Yeah, that's not what you were saying last night."  
Ruthie huffed at him. "Will you at least help me find my other stocking?"  
Alfie looked lazily at his floor and back at her.  
"Never mind." She said throwing her other stocking down and leaving the room to get her dress.  
As Alfie was walking down the stairs, she was putting on her dress. "I'll drive you."  
"Fine, but we need to leave now!" She demanded.  
Walking out the door, he led the way to the car.  
"You know you can't tell anyone about this, right?"  
She heard him chuckle and shake his head.  
"I'm serious Alfie! You're not allowed to tell anyone! Tommy will be furious!"  
At that, Alfie turned, humor gone from his face.  
"Listen treacle tits." He said, his jaw clenched. "I am not scared of Tommy fucking Shelby. If I want to tell your brother that I had you screaming my name after you showed up at my door all but begging me to fuck you, then I will." He stared her down, her ears getting hot with a mix of anger and embarrassment.  
Alfie turned and continued walking to the car. Ruthie stood still, racking her brain. Would he really tell him? She ran and cut him off.  
With her outstretched hand in the middle of the chest she said, "Wait, please don't! He will kick me out! Or.. worse.." Her eyes were wide as she looked down realizing that he had probably killed or blinded people that have broken promises to him before. What would he do to her?  
"Well if he sees you still in that," Alfie said pointing to her dress. "I won't have to tell him."  
Realizing he was right they continued to his car. Ruthie sat in the seat anxiously waiting to arrive to the hotel. She wrung her hands in her lap and bit her lip.  
"Would you stop? It's hard to drive with you thinking so fucking loud."  
Ruthie only looked at him, wondering how she was going to get to her room without being spotted.  
Arriving at the hotel, she got out and Alfie, much to her relief, drove off. As she walked in the door, she quickly scanned the lobby, and proceeded to the stairs. She slowly walked up peeking over the top step to see if there were feet visible. The hall was empty and she ran as fast as she could to her door and quickly shut it behind her. Letting out a breath she had been holding since she entered the lobby. She quickly changed and washed her face.  
Once she was presentable, she walked downstairs to the lobby to get some tea. As she arrived, she saw Tommy reading a paper. How long has he been there? She wondered. When he spotted her, he gestured at an empty chair at his table.  
"How was it?" He asked as she sat.  
"What?" She said in shock. He knows!   
He looked above his glasses at her. "Your first big family… job" he added, not wanting to say robbery.  
"Oh, that." She said exhaling. "um, well I don't think I'm cut out for that kind of work."  
"I disagree." He said looking back at his paper. "You think on your feet well. I could see you becoming key in some of our other tasks."  
An unexplained feeling of pride welled up inside Ruthie. Tommy was proud of her; she had helped her family succeed. She smiled as she ate her breakfast, not only because of what Tommy had said but also because she knew she had gotten away with last night. Tommy had no idea she had spent the night in Camden Town and as long as Alfie didn't tell him, he never would. She wasn't confident that Alfie wouldn't say anything, but she hoped with all of her might that he would respect her wishes.  
After breakfast Tommy, Arthur, and John took one of the cars to Camden Town to split the earnings from the night before. Meanwhile, Michael and Finn drove the women home. Ruthie was nervous that evening when Tommy came home, afraid Alfie had said something. But Tommy said nothing about Alfie as he poured himself a drink and settled himself by the fire.  
Ruthie crawled into bed that night content that her brother had bragged on her. As she lay there her mind began to wander to thoughts of Alfie. She replayed the night before in her head until she fell asleep with a smile on her face.  
The next day the family came over and Tommy gave them all their portion of the earnings. Ruthie stared at hers. Tommy said because she had done her part so well, he added to her share. She had never held so much money in her hands before. This was exactly what she needed to fund her bakery. She had forgotten all about the young man she had gotten fired and about the crowd they had robbed. She could finally make her dream come true. She had worked so hard for so long, and now in an evening’s time, she had all the money she would need to purchase a building.  
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________  
The next two weeks came and went. Because the weather was changing, Ruthie spent most of her time outdoors. She loved autumn, and she did her best thinking when she was doing something with her hands. Mostly, she spent time in the stables with Tommy's horses, brushing and occasionally riding them. She thought about where she would have her bakery. She could go anywhere. Cambridge, Bath, London… London she thought. Alfie. She often thought of Alfie and occasionally would get so distracted by thoughts of their night together that Polly would have to throw something at her to get her to pay attention in their gambling den.  
On the third week after the ball, Monday had arrived and Ruthie stood arranging a vase of flowers in the foyer. As she did so, there was a knock and the door. The maid opened it and Ruthie continued to adjust the flowers as she listened.  
"Mr. Shelby is expecting you. He is on the phone but asked that you have a seat in the sitting room and he will fetch you when he is done." The maid instructed.  
The guest said nothing, and the maid walked up the stairs to begin cleaning rooms.  
Ruthie had her back to the door and didn't hear as the mysterious guest came up behind her.  
She gasped as a hand brushed her arm.  
"Always so jumpy." Said a familiar growl in her ear.  
Ruthie exhaled and leaned her head back against him as Alfie wrapped his arms around her waist. Slowly Alfie moved back, still standing behind her and he moved her hair and kissed the nape of her neck. Instantly her legs went weak with desire and Ruthie turned in time to catch his lips with hers. She kissed him passionately, sucking on his bottom lip when they heard Tommy's study door open and they burst apart. Ruthie knew her face wouldn't be able to conceal what had just happened between them so she walked through the sitting room and out the back door before Tommy could see her. She leaned against the door and sighed in frustration.  
After meeting with Tommy to tie up some loose ends of their job, Tommy escorted Alfie to the door and closed it behind him. Alfie turned to look through the window lining the door frame and saw Tommy walking to his sitting room and pouring a drink, when he heard a small noise. He looked over and saw Ruthie standing at the end of the house, she looked down the drive and since no one was coming, gave Alfie a look and walked around the house. Knowing he was to follow, he told his men to wait for him quietly until he returned. Following her around the large estate house, he watched her once again turn a corner.  
As he got to the back of the house Ruthie was waiting, almost panting for him. Immediately she threw herself at him, kissing him as passionately as before. He returned her passion and pushed her against the brick wall. She pulled him as close as she possibly could to her. She wanted him. And he wanted her.  
Moving his hands from her body he began to undo the button of his pants as she pulled up the skirt of her dress. Picking her up, she wrapped her legs around him as he entered her. The passion between them was so intense there was no going slow. She had been craving him inside her, he could tell by the way she moaned.  
"You're going to get us caught." He growled reluctantly in her ear. He didn't want her to be quiet, he loved listening to every noise she made.  
She closed her mouth, knowing Alfie was right. There they were, fucking against Tommy Shelby's house. She didn't know what Tommy would do to them if he caught them, but at this moment she didn't care. All she cared about were the strong arms holding her up and the man that was inside her. Pleasure filled her with every movement.  
"Alfie" She whined and he knew she was close.  
Knowing she would not be able to contain herself when she came, he covered her mouth with his and kissed her when she let go, convulsing around him. She moaned loudly into the kiss and bit his lip. As he had done before, he held in himself until she began to come down, then he let go inside her.  
They stood against the house, afraid that if they moved, they would collapse. Finally, she let her legs down and straightened her skirt. Once Alfie had buttoned his pants, he looked at her.  
"First you tell me not to tell Tommy, then you seduce me outside his house?" He said with a grin.  
"Shouldn't you be going?" Ruthie responded sternly.  
"Should I?" He said getting closer to her against the wall. "Do you want me to go?" He asked in a low voice in her ear.  
She closed her eyes as he slowly lifted her skirt and ran his hand up between her thighs.  
Her heart quickened as he whispered, "Have you been dreaming of me, Ruthie?"  
She swallowed, her eyes still closed and her mouth parted. Just as she let out a moan, he removed his hand and walked away, leaving her panting against the wall.


	17. Chapter 17

Ruthie listened to Alfie's car drive away when she noticed another set of tires getting closer. Knowing it wouldn't be good for her to walk in the house right after Alfie left, she walked down hill to the stables.  
Petting the horses nose she leaned her forehead against the horses and said, "Well girl, I am officially in deep shit. What do you think I should do?" She asked, looking at the horse.  
The horse looked at her.  
"Yeah, I don't know either." She said to the horse and proceeded to brush her.  
After half an hour Ruthie decided to venture back to the house. She walked in the sitting room to pour herself a drink when she found Ada and Tommy.  
"And where have you been?" Ada asked lightly.  
"Out in the stables." Ruthie said thoughtfully.  
"You certainly have been spending a lot of time there."  
"I've had a lot on my mind."  
"Did you see Alfie?" Tommy interjected.  
"Alfie?" Ruthie repeated, holding her composure. "No. Is he here?"  
"Left about 30 minutes ago. He didn't leave when I walked him out the door. Thought maybe you had seen what took him so long."  
"No." She said maintaining a straight face.  
Tommy stared her down and Ruthie stared back, never breaking eye contact. Finally, he decided she was telling the truth and Ruthie turned back to Ada.  
"Do you remember the names of the lawyers you spoke with at the ball?"  
"Which ones?" Ada asked as she took a swallow of her drink.  
"The ones me and my fake husband didn't talk to. I don't think it'd be wise to be Ruthie Borofsky around lawyers who got robbed after meeting Ruthie Solomons."  
Tommy raised his eyebrows in agreeance.  
"Yes, there was five of them. Three from London, two from Bath and one from Cambridge." Ada said as she looked at the ceiling trying to remember.  
"Can you write them down for me? I have some questions about buying a property."  
"You're buying a property?" Tommy asked curious.  
"I want to open a bakery. Now that I have the money, I don't see any reason why I should wait."  
"I know a lawyer; I can give him a call. See if he knows any open buildings." Tommy offered.  
"Actually, I really want to do this on my own. This is what I've wanted for so long, I just…. I need to do this on my own."  
"Where is the building at?" Ada asked  
"I don't have one in mind yet. I thought first I would get a lawyer, then go from there. I'm not quite sure what town I want to be in."  
"What town? You mean you aren't going to stay in Birmingham?" Ada asked shocked.  
"I don't know, maybe. But I have options now, options I didn't have before. I owe it to myself to explore those options."  
Ada wrote the names of the lawyers before she left and gave the list to Ruthie who decided she would travel the following week to meet with them. Starting in London.  
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________  
Ruthie took the train to London rather than having a driver take her. She was excited to meet with the lawyers. She couldn't meet with them in the same day, so she booked a room. After checking in she freshened up and got ready to go to her first meeting.  
Her first meeting did not go as expected. He told her that a woman shouldn't be opening any kind of shop on her own or seeking legal advice without her husband and after telling him she was unmarried, he said he couldn't help her and excused her. The second meeting went worse as he tried to proposition her for his services. After threatening to break his hand if he touched her, she grabbed her bag and left.  
Things were not going as well as she had hoped. She walked down the street, distracted. She was so distracted in fact that she didn't look as she crossed the street until she heard a honk. As she looked up a car was coming straight for her, she barely had time to think let alone react. Not a second too soon, a hand grabbed her wrist and pulled her out of the way.  
"Are you mental?" Alfie shot at her.  
"I was distracted." She replied innocently.  
"Distracted? You almost got yourself killed."  
"Well I guess it's a good thing you were following me then, wasn't it?" Ruthie retorted sardonically.  
"Following you?" Alfie laughed. "Sorry to let you down love, but I was doing business in the clockmaker’s shop right there." He pointed to a small shop that she had passed before crossing the street.  
"What are you doing in London?" He asked  
Ruthie shrugged, "Business." She replied.  
"Peaky business?"  
"No, my own business." She said proudly.  
"So, you're alone then?" he said raising an eyebrow.  
Ruthie looked at him and grinned. "Yes, I suppose I am."  
"Mmm." Alfie looked at her eyes then down to her lips before saying, "Well then, how bout something to eat then, yeah?"  
"I suppose." She said trying to hide the fact that that was not exactly what she had in mind.  
They walked around the corner and Alfie turned in down an alley. It was beginning to get dark, so Ruthie stayed close to his side. Finally, they came to a small hole-in-the-wall shop front and went in. As they walked in Ruthie was surprised to find an adorable, cozy restaurant. As the host led them to a small table for two, Ruthie looked, taking in the atmosphere. The place was charming and Ruthie instantly fell in love with it. It was quaint and smelled like all of her favorite Jewish foods. As she looked up, she found Alfie already staring at her. His eyes soft and amused. Ruthie felt her face blush and she looked down at her hands. Right before he began to speak an older Jewish man and woman walked up.  
"Alfie! It has been so long!" The older woman said as she hugged him. Alfie began to blush as she kissed him on the cheeks almost as a grandmother would kiss her young grandson.  
"And who is this?" The woman said turning her attention to Ruthie.  
"Oh, um, Ruthie." Ruthie responded as she held out her hand.  
"Ruthie! Well I am Alfie's Bubbee."  
So, she is his grandmother! Ruthie thought but didn't say anything. She only smiled.  
"Alfie, she is beautiful." Bubbee said as though Ruthie couldn't hear her. "Look at those cheek bones, and her hair! Oh, and look at those pretty blue eyes!" Ruthie could feel her face going red.  
The man with her interrupted and said, "Now Alice, let's not embarrass the girl."  
Bubbee shot him a look, "And what do you think of our sweet boy?" She asked Ruthie.  
"Oh, um.." Ruthie didn't know what to say, her face was wide in a smile as Alfie clenched his teeth and looked down in embarrassment.  
"Ok, that's enough." Said the man as he pulled her away back into the kitchen as they bickered back and forth in Yiddish like the old married couple they surely were.  
Ruthie began to laugh.  
"This was a mistake." Alfie said  
"No!" Ruthie responded still chuckling. "I think its sweet. I never knew my Bubbee."  
"Well, they're not really my grandparents. When I was fourteen, I helped him repair some things in their house and they sort of… adopted me in a way." She could tell by the way he said it that he wasn't used to being vulnerable.  
Ruthie smiled at him as they got their food and began to eat. Occasionally, Bubbee would come over and give them more food that she insisted was free for "her Alfie". As they got ready to leave Ruthie stood by the door and observed. Alfie patted the man on the back and pulled out a wad of money and gave it to the woman before giving her a hug and kissing her on the head.  
"You're sweet to them." Ruthie said as they walked through the alley to the main road.  
"They're good people."  
She gazed up at him, smiling to herself. When they finally emerged from the alley way, she realized they were in Camden Town.  
"This is not my hotel." Ruthie said pointedly with a grin.  
Alfie raised her chin and kissed her.  
"Do you want to go to your hotel?" He asked.  
"No." Ruthie replied honestly  
Once inside his house, he turned to her and kissed her. They kissed and stumbled across the room to the stairs, taking their clothes off as they went. Ruthie had her back to the stairs as she kissed Alfie, so they had only made it up a few steps when her foot slipped. She fell back onto the stairs, still facing him. He lowered himself to her as he decided to take her on the stairs.  
She didn't have to be quiet this time, and he was determined to make sure she wasn't. He pushed his mouth onto hers and spread her knees so he could go in. Happy to allow him she put one leg around his waist and used the other one as leverage on the stairs to meet his movements. Gradually, she wrapped the other leg around him, so he picked her up and moved her to the bedroom. He dropped her on the bed and instead of following her he turned her over and pulled her onto her hands and knees. He wanted to grab those hips he loved. Doing so he re-entered her and closed his eyes as he listened to her.  
Wanting to kiss her again, he returned her to her back. Slowly she began whine, a sound he knew very well by this point. Not slowing down, he continued to move his hips. She was so close but fighting it.  
"Don't fight it, Ruthie." He growled in her ear and she clawed her fingertips into his back. She wanted it to last.  
"Let go, love." He whispered almost gently, and she obliged. She rode her orgasm up, her eyes rolling back and when she finally began to come down Alfie joined her in climax.  
They laid there, arms and legs still intertwined until Ruthie shuddered from the breeze coming through the open window. Alfie grabbed the blanket off the floor and threw it over them. As he did so, Ruthie leaned up and kissed him, and they started again.  
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________  
The next morning Ruthie awoke to someone talking. She was still in Alfie's bed, he was still beside her, and she didn't see anyone else. She waited for a moment until finally,  
"The horse." Alfie mumbled in his sleep.  
Ruthie watched him, a smile emerging on her mouth.  
"That's the horse that stole my trousers!" Alfie insisted.  
Unable to hold it in she let out a laugh and Alfie woke.  
Blinking he finally looked over to see Ruthie with a smile bigger than he had seen her wear covering her face.  
"Damn horse." She said with a fake-serious face.  
"What?" Alfie said bewildered.  
"You talk in your sleep." She said grinning.  
He didn't say anything. Clearly, he already knew this and did not want to discuss it.  
"But, what I really want to know….." Said Ruthie unable to stop herself continuing. "Is how the horse took off your trousers."  
"Fuck off." Alfie said in annoyance.  
Ruthie smiled, "How about I fuck you instead?" she said, causing Alfie to smile as she crawled on top of him.  
Ruthie sat in the kitchen an hour later and watched Alfie cook eggs and toast. She admired his back muscles when he turned to put the pan in the sink and then she turned her attention to his toned stomach and chest. Damn he's attractive, she thought. They talked over breakfast about her meetings with the first two lawyers and Alfie asked her who she was seeing that day. Eventually, it was time for her to go and he drove her to her hotel so she could change for her meeting.  
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________  
Her meeting with the third lawyer went much better than expected. His rate was lower than she thought it would be and they started drawing up documents for her business. All she had to do now was find a building. But where? She had grown to care about her family but there was something holding her back from committing to Birmingham... In the back of her mind she knew what that 'something' was, but she refused to acknowledge it.  
Remembering she had 'forgotten' her bag at Alfie's she proceeded back to Camden Town with a smile.  
As she approached the road Alfie lived on, she stopped. Alfie was walking with a woman. Kinky brown curls lined her olive face. She was pretty. Jealousy and fear rose into Ruthie's thoughts. As she watched them walk, she noticed the woman's arm was tucked into Alfie's elbow, just as Ruthie's had been the first time they had met. Alfie and the woman walked into his house and Ruthie stood in the street. They hadn't seen her; she could just leave. Damn it, Ruthie your bag is in there!  
Walking up to the door she knocked but got no answer. She knocked once more and after waiting, she decided to open the door.


	18. Chapter 18

Ruthie peeked around the door and didn't hear or see anyone. She walked over the threshold and finally saw two jackets across the chair by the door. She was getting ready to shout 'hello' when she heard the woman laugh up the stairs.  
They're in his room! She thought to herself as she gasped. She went to put her hand over her mouth and in doing so let the door go. It slammed shut and silence fell upstairs. Shit, Ruthie! Find your handbag and get out. She scanned the floor, unable to remember where she left it the night before. Her eyes were starting to blur as tears welled in her eyes. She found her handbag on the floor beside the coffee table and as she went to grab it, Alfie appeared at the top of the stairs.  
"Ruthie?" He said curiously.  
"I'm, um… I forgot my handbag…." She said looking down, her voice cracking.  
"Ruthie –" He started but Ruthie cut him off.  
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt. Continue with your um….. her." She stammered as tears began to fall and she ran out the door.  
She ran down the street and around the corner, not stopping until she reached the edge of Camden. Ruthie felt foolish. Why are you crying? He never told you he wasn't sleeping with other women. I mean, look at him! He's gorgeous! Of course, he is sleeping with other women! Pulling herself back together, she stopped crying and rode back to Birmingham, barely noticing the view out the window.  
Later that evening, after Johnny Dogs picked her up from the train station, she sat in the sitting room with her family. They all wanted to hear how it went with the lawyers. She was glad they were so supportive, but all she wanted was to take a bath and go to bed. She put on a fake smile and told them about her trip, excluding the bit about staying the night with Alfie, and they all drank to her.  
"Thank you, but it's a bit early for that. I haven't even found a building yet." She said modestly.  
"But it's a start!" Arthur said  
"A step in the right direction for us ladies." Ada added.  
An hour passed and she finally excused herself, admitting to being tired after her trip. She walked up the stairs, undressed, and settled herself in the bath. She sat there for some time, replaying the image of Alfie walking with that woman, and hearing the laugh from up the stairs. She closed her eyes, thought to herself you foolish woman and submerged herself in water. Under water she opened her eyes, looking at the ceiling through waves of water when suddenly there was a black outline standing over her.  
Ruthie shot up out of the water to find Alfie standing by her tub. She wiped her face, removing excess water so she could see him clearly. He wasn't wearing his jacket, he didn't have his cane, and his sleeves were rolled to his elbow.  
"What are you doing here?" She asked as she pulled her knees up and covered her bare breasts.  
"Why are you covering yourself? It's not like I haven't seen….. and touched it all before" Alfie said a mix of annoyance and humor in his voice. "And while we are at it, what was all that about this afternoon?" he added, removing all humor from his tone.  
Ruthie got out of the tub and quickly put on her robe.  
"You shouldn't be here, if Tommy finds you, he'll – "  
"Oh, fuck Tommy Shelby! Why did you run out?"  
"What? Why did I run out? Alfie, you had another woman in your room! What was I supposed to do? Stay and listen?" She asked heatedly, before quickly adding "And if you say anything about me joining in, I will throw you out the window."  
"Well, I don't know about your Gypsy family members, but personally I don't sleep with my sisters."  
Ruthie blinked up at him.  
"You don't sleep with…. Wait, what?"  
"My sister. Yeah."  
"But… But you were in your bedroom."  
"I was showing her a picture I had been given by Bubbee. It was the two of us when we were 15 and 17 and I had let her cut my hair. Which I will never do again." He added.  
Ruthie looked at him. "Why should I believe you? You're a gangster, lying and deceiving is your specialty."  
He pulled a picture from his pocket. Looking at it, Ruthie saw a 17-year-old girl and a scrawny 15-year-old boy with no hair. As she looked closer, she could tell it was Alfie, and she looked up at him grinning.  
"You have no hair in this picture." She said trying to suppress a smile.  
"Yeah well I to shave it didn't I? It was a bloody awful cut."  
"Just because you have this picture doesn't prove anything. All it proves is that you were a skinny kid with no hair."  
"Yeah well if I was fucking other women just hours after I got done with you would I have climbed the ivy to crawl through that blasted window?" He said gesturing to her bedroom window that he had left ajar.  
"You…? You climbed through the window?" She asked incredulously.  
"Well I don't think your brother would have just let me walk through the front door and up to your bedroom, do you?"  
Alfie looked at her. Suddenly, the corners of her mouth began to curl.  
"You, uh, climbed through the window….."  
"That's what I said, yeah."  
"So, how long were you hiding in the bushes before you decided to shimmy up the ivy?" Ruthie was starting to laugh.  
"I don't shimmy." Alfie said growing defensive.  
Ruthie laughed, replaying images in her head of Alfie peeking through the windows on the bottom floor and ducking before someone passed by. She began to laugh harder as she tried to picture him climbing up the ivy and flattening himself to the wall when he heard footsteps inside. The images got more dramatic every time she imagined it, and she laughed until she snorted.  
Covering her mouth, she continued to laugh.  
"You just snorted." Alfie said grinning at her.  
"Oh, go climb an ivy!" She said laughing until she bent over with rib pain.  
"Are you done?" Alfie said, an annoyed look on his face.  
"Will you do it again so I can watch?" She asked, mocking him  
Alfie gave a small nod and said "Goodbye." As he began to walk away from her.  
"Wait!" She said grabbing his hand and pulling him back to her. "I'm only joking." She said only a chuckle noticeable in her voice.  
"She really is your sister?" Ruthie asked after a pause, all humor gone.  
"Yes." He said touching her cheek with his knuckle.  
"I think I have feelings for you Alfie Solomons. And it scares the shit out of me."  
Running his knuckle gently down her cheek, he put it under her chin and tilted her head up. He kissed her more gently than he had ever done before. Then he took her robe off, carried her to the bed and took his time making love to her.  
Afterwards, they laid in each other's arms and Alfie twirled a lock of her hair in his fingers.  
"Oh! I almost forgot to tell you!" Ruthie said leaning up to look at his face. "The lawyer I saw this afternoon, he worked out!"  
She was so proud, he didn't have the heart to tell her that after he had dropped her off, he went back to his office and called the lawyer and told him if he didn't make it happen for her, Alfie would burn down the lawyer's house… with him in it.  
"That's good. Have you decided where?"  
"No. not yet."  
"Ruthie. You're a Jew. The bread you'd be baking is Jewish bread. You belong in a Jewish town."  
"It's not that simple. My family is here in Birmingham."  
"One day you are going to have to choose between being a Jew and being a Shelby" Alfie said putting his arm under his head and closing his eyes.  
"Why can't I be both?"  
"It's not that simple treacle." Alfie said and then he fell asleep.  
Ruthie lay in bed, her head on his chest, lost in thought until she finally fell asleep.  
Still thankful that she woke up before the rest of the house, she looked at Alfie, ready to wake him up so they don't get caught. As she looked at him, she realized how peaceful he looked. His eyebrows weren't furrowed, and his jaw wasn't clenched. He had faint worry lines on his forehead and beside his eyes. His mouth was relaxed, and his lips parted. Slowly, she leaned up and kissed his lips, waking him.  
"Mmm." He grunted sleepily  
"You should probably shimmy back down the ivy before anyone wakes up." She said smiling  
"I don't shimmy. And I am not climbing out the window in clear daylight." He said, his eyes still closed.  
"How are you going to get out then?"  
"The front door."  
Ruthie stared at him, surely he's joking. He opened his eyes and looked at her, a smile coming across his face.  
"Who do you think it'll be? The maid or the butler that catches me?"  
"We don't have a butler."

"The maid then." Alfie said nodding his head.  
They got up and dressed and after realizing Alfie wasn't joking, Ruthie went into the hallway to see if anyone else was up. The coast was clear, and they walked quietly, Ruthie on edge, to the bottom of the stairs.  
When they were at the door Alfie turned and said, "One day our luck is going to run out and we are going to get caught. I suggest you tell your brother before that happens."  
"Just go!" She said peeking over her shoulder. Then he kissed her and left. Ruthie exhaled a deep breath as she slowly shut the door behind him. He was right. Their luck would run out, and they'll get caught. But until then. Ruthie shrugged and proceeded with her day.  
A few days later a package arrived for her. As she opened it, she found a delicate gold necklace with a small teardrop diamond. The only thing with it was a small card that had the letter 'A' on it. Putting it on, she thought about what he had said. 'you are a Jew. You belong in a Jewish town.'  
"You do, Ruthie." She said to herself as she made up her mind.  
Excited, she decided to travel the next day to London to talk to her lawyer and tell Alfie she had decided to go to London. The first thing she did when she arrived was head straight to Camden Town. As she got there she walked to Alfie's 'bakery' and knocked on the door. A tall skinny man, 25 years or so, opened the door.  
Eying her up and down he said. "Who are you?"  
"I'm here to see Alfie." She said not wanting to reveal who she was quite yet, in case word got around that Tommy Shelby's sister was visiting Alfie.  
"He's in a meeting."  
"I can wait."  
He watched her for a moment before finally saying, "Alright, wait over there." And pointing to the side of the building.  
When the young man turned around, Ruthie slipped in the door, curious to have a look at Alfie's business. It smelled like her favorite rum. She weaved in and out of the mechanics and dodged workers so as not to get caught, until she turned a corner and could see Alfie sitting at his desk through a window in his office. The window was no doubt so he could keep an eye on his workers, and it worked out well because now she could see him in his element. She smiled as she watched. He was listening to his guest's words and it wasn't until she looked at his guest that the smiled left her face and body went cold.  
Simon, the man who attacked her, who swore that she would never be with a man unless it was him, was sitting in the chair across from her lover.


	19. Chapter 19

Ruthie stood frozen, her eyes wide and body numb. This can't be real. It has to be a dream. But in her core, she knew it was real. Anxiety grew inside Ruthie as she stood, unable to move. Suddenly a hand grabbed her shoulder and she shrieked. It was the 25-year-old man, he had been looking for her since he turned around and she was gone. All heads turned in her direction when she yelped, including Alfie and Simon's.  
Alfie looked at Ruthie, her eyes and nose were beginning to turn red as tears drew into her eyes. Fear was etched all over her face. Alfie got up and walked out of his office, concerned. Simon followed him out, his eyes on Ruthie. As they drew closer the young man went up to Alfie to start explaining why Ruthie was in the distillery.  
As he did so, Simon walked up beside Ruthie, his back to Alfie, as if he were looking at the wall and said, "Did you think I wouldn't find you Ruthie?"  
She said nothing. Her mind was racing, she just needed to tell Alfie. But she couldn't get her mouth to open.  
"Don't even think about it. I told you I knew powerful people. Well, those people have men. And an Italian by the name Sabini… he has men too. All waiting for my signal to invade Camden Town and make sure Alfie Solomons' reign is over."  
Ruthie stared at Alfie, tears silently falling down her face. "How did you find me?"  
Simon chuckled maniacally, "A… well we will call him a friend, was describing a charity ball he went to. Said there was a Jew by the name of Solomons who had a lovely little wife that introduced herself as 'Ruthie Solomons'." He glared at her through the corners of his eyes. "After he described her to me, I knew it was you. Which means you lied to me; you didn't come here to meet 'friends' you came to meet him. And then you left Salford and married him."  
"You don't know what you're talking about!" She shot back in a whisper.  
"Oh, but don't I? I decided to come see for myself so, a week ago I sat outside of Alfie Solomons house and watched you kiss him and walk in. I stayed outside until the two of you left the next morning."  
The thought of Simon outside of Alfie's house while him and Ruthie were in bed together made her want to vomit and she covered her mouth.  
"Compose yourself!" Simon spat. "If you tell your husband anything I will know. And I will kill him on the spot. And if anything happens to me, my people will take that as the signal to come in. And between Sabini and I, we have more men than your precious Alfie."  
"Why are you doing this?" Ruthie pleaded.  
"Because you should have chosen me!"  
Suddenly they heard Alfie say "Alright Ollie, alright. It's fine. She is here to see me."  
He walked up to Ruthie who was still visibly upset and said, "What is it? What happened?"  
"Oh, um…. I just…" Ruthie searched for a lie but couldn't think of one.  
Alfie looked at her, and putting his hands on her shoulders asked again, "What happened?"  
"I'm sorry, I have to go." And she turned and ran. Was Simon telling the truth? Did he really have all of those men? Why is he talking to Alfie if he just wants to kill him? Ruthie's mind was racing. She ran to her car, Alfie, Simon, and Ollie following her. Once in, she drove around the corner and back to Birmingham as fast as she could.  
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________  
Walking in Tommy's house she ran to the sound of his voice and found him in his study with Polly. She had cried tears of fright and anger the entire way back from London. The other two were immediately on guard.  
"What's happened?" Polly asked concerned.  
Ruthie looked at Tommy, "Alfie is in trouble!" She said as she tried to catch her breath.  
"How do you know?" Polly asked  
"Because I just left Camden Town'"  
"You what? What were you doing there?" Polly retorted.  
"It doesn't matter, look, Alfie is in trouble and it's all my fault!"  
"Slow down, what kind of trouble?" Tommy said calmly.  
"The man that attacked me, his name was Simon. When I walked downstairs, I saw him talking with Alfie in his office. He said he is going to invade Camden Town and kill Alfie. He said that if I told Alfie then he would only do it sooner." Ruthie said, her words pouring out of her mouth so fast the others could hardly understand her.  
"How is that your fault?" Polly asked  
"If I had just told Tommy his name all of this could have been avoided." Ruthie said clear frustration in her voice at herself.  
"Somebody else would have come to Camden Town eventually, that is no reason that we should do anything about it." Polly said waving her hand nonchalantly.  
"No! You don't understand! It's personal!" Ruthie argued. "I turned him down, and he went mad. He said that if I wouldn't be with him then he would make sure I wouldn't be with anyone and then someone he knew was at that charity ball and heard my introduced as 'Mrs. Solomons'! When Simon found out, he sat outside Alfie's house and last week when I – "  
Ruthie stopped herself. She had said too much.  
"When you what?" Polly said, her eyebrows shooting up.  
Ruthie didn't know what to say. She knew they would be angry, but she had no choice but to tell them.  
"When I spent the night with Alfie." She said.  
"SPENT THE NIGHT WITH ALFIE?" Polly repeated.  
Ruthie ignored her, staring at Tommy she said, "Simon saw me go in, and not come out until the morning, so he thinks we are really married, and he wants to kill Alfie for it."  
Polly huffed angrily as Tommy merely stared at Ruthie.  
"Look I'm sorry. But none of this is Alfie's fault and I won't be able to live with myself if Simon kills him." Ruthie said, a pleading in her voice.  
"But you can live with yourself for sneaking around our backs and fucking the enemy." Polly said sardonically.  
There was a pause as Polly and Ruthie stared at each other angrily, both unmoving and unblinking.  
"How long?" Tommy asked.  
"What?" Ruthie looked at him, confused.  
"How long have you been sleeping with Alfie?"  
"Since the night of the charity ball."  
At that answer, Tommy clenched his jaw.  
"I know your angry. But please Tommy… I love him." The moment the words left her mouth Ruthie knew they were true. "If not for me then think about the company."  
"The compa –?" Polly repeated appalled. "The company has nothing to do with this!"  
"He is a valuable resource in London!" Ruthie argued trying to convince Tommy.  
"We can find other resources." Polly said shrugging.  
"Alfie can take care of himself. He's smart. He has men." Tommy finally said.  
"You're not listening to me!" Ruthie was getting frustrated. Why don't they want to help? "Simon has more! There's this Italian…um, S…ss… Damn it! It starts with an S"  
"Sabini?"  
"Yes! Sabini! Simon has teamed up with Sabini to take down Alfie, there are too many men for Alfie's to take on alone."  
Tommy shook his head as he pulled out his cigarettes. Then he looked at Ruthie and said nothing.  
"Fine." Ruthie said in anger. "Don't help him. He was right, He said there would come a day I would have to choose between being a Jew and a Shelby. I think you just decided for me."  
"Oh, don't be so dramatic." Polly said.  
"OH, FUCK OFF, POLLY!" Ruthie shouted as she turned to leave the room.  
Polly stood stunned at the comeback.  
On her way to her car, she grabbed a gun Tommy had hidden under a chair in the parlor and drove back to London.  
Alfie sat in his office. Should he pick up the telephone and call Tommy? He was worried about Ruthie, but if he called that would open questions. Personally, he didn't care what Tommy thought of them fucking each other, but Ruthie did. He sat staring at his phone when Ollie walked in the office.  
"Ollie, the woman from earlier. You said you told her to wait outside?"  
"Yes, sir."  
"Did she mention anything about why she was upset?"  
"No sir, she wasn't upset until I found her in here staring at you."  
Alfie was confused. Something wasn't right.  
"The lad that was in my office, did he say where he was from"  
"No, just said up north."  
"Up north…?" Alfie ran his fingers over his mustache and down his beard as he thought. Suddenly the phone rang.  
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________  
Ruthie got back to Alfie's distillery as the sun was setting. It had gotten so low in fact that the sky wasn't orange anymore, but a dusky burnt color. She held the gun close to her side in her jacket pocket. She scanned the street, it was empty. There wasn't a soul anywhere in Camden from what she could tell. All lights in the surrounding buildings and houses were off, all was quiet.  
Ruthie started to knock on the door but decided to just go in. As she did so she got an eerie feeling. It's too quiet here. As she walked between barrels, making her way to Alfie's office, the only noise she heard was dripping water from the pipes. When she turned a corner, she heard the clicking of a gun.  
Pulling her gun out of her pocket she pointed in the direction of the noise.  
"You going to shoot me love?" Alfie said easing his way into the light.  
Ruthie dropped her arm and let out a sigh of relief.  
"What's going on? Where is everyone?" she asked as she ran, wrapping her arms around his neck as he buried his face in her hair.  
"Didn't you hear? A mad Jewish lad from up north showed up in my office and made a woman cry." He cocked his head as he looked at her, examining her reaction.  
Ruthie looked at him perplexed. "How did you know?"  
"I'm a smart man Ruthie." He said as he grabbed her hand and led her to his office. "I also received a telephone call from a mate in Birmingham." He added as he looked at her, a grin barely visible on his face.  
Tommy called him, Ruthie thought thankfully. Alfie poured her glass of rum to calm her nerves then he turned to her.  
"Listen, I need you to stay here. Hide under the desk and don't come out until I tell you it's safe alright?" His tone was serious.  
"But, Simon, he…"  
"I've not seen him since you left. From what your brother tells me, he's probably getting his men ready."  
"But… Alfie…. You don't have enough men. He has Italians." Ruthie said, her breathing staring to quicken.  
"Hey, shhh, It'll be alright." He said wrapping his arms around her and she buried her face in his chest breathing him in.  
Alfie held her there until Ollie came up the way with Tommy Shelby in his wake.  
Tommy eyed the pair of them as they broke apart and Ruthie curled both of her arms around Alfie's right arm and laid her head against his shoulder.  
"You were right. Alfie is valuable to the company." Tommy said looking at her.  
"You don't know what this means to me." She replied as she looked around. "Where are all of your men?" she asked them both.  
Alfie gave a hand signal and Jewish men came peering out of every hole in the distillery with guns and weapons in their hands. Clearly they had been under attack before, and they were ready.  
"Did you think this was my first war?" Alfie asked. "We are ready for when they come." He added looking at his men with pride.  
Suddenly the door slammed, and a young Jewish kid, maybe 19-years-old came running in, "They're turning the corner of Bonny Street."  
Ruthie gasped and looked at Alfie, his jaw was clenched and there was a serious look in his eye.  
He looked at Tommy and said, "It's time." And Ruthie knew it was going to be either Simon or Alfie walking away from this fight, and she prayed it would be Alfie.


	20. Chapter 20

The atmosphere in the room was tense. It was as if no one was breathing. They were all looking at Tommy and Alfie. As Alfie began to walk toward the door, Ruthie grabbed his hand and pull him towards her.  
"Wait, Alfie. Please!" She said, a desperation in her voice.  
He turned to look at her and could see the fear in her eyes. "Ruthie, I have to go. Stay in my office, hide under the desk or in the corner I don't care. Just stay out of sight. Ollie will stay in here with you in case that fucker comes looking for you."  
"No, please. Don't leave me!" She begged as tears fell down the side of her face. "This is my fault; if you die because of me…." She buried her face in his chest once more.  
"I'm not going to die, love. But I won't be able to focus if I think you're not safe. So, promise me, you will stay here."  
Ruthie nodded reluctantly.  
Tommy instructed Michael to stay with Ollie and Ruthie then the remainder of the men including the man she loved, went off to battle.  
Ruthie waited in Alfie's office, Ollie and Michael stood by the office door. Ollie didn't take his eyes off the entrance and tapped the door with his knuckle repeatedly.  
"Would you fucking stop!" Michael finally spat at him.  
"Or what?" Ollie spat back.  
"Or I will make you stop!"  
"You think – "  
"Enough!" Ruthie interrupted. "I'm trying to listen!"  
The room fell silent again as they all listened for the first gunshot. It felt like hours had passed but every time Ruthie looked at the clock on the counter it had only been a couple of minutes. Her heart raced and suddenly, at the sound of the first gunshot, she thought it had stopped.  
Shots fired over and over again and every time, Ruthie wondered whether they were from Simon's men or Alfie's. Finally, unable to bear anymore, she ran out of the office. She had only made it a few steps when Michael's arms grabbed her around her waist.  
"Are you trying to get yourself killed?" He said as he struggled to pull the fighting Ruthie back into the office.  
"I have to do something!" Ruthie said through gritted teeth and she tried to free herself from his grasp.  
"You are going to do something! You're going to sit in this office and if anyone comes through that door, you're going to hide!"  
He sat Ruthie down in the chair. And she glared at him. It wasn't three minutes later there was a bang against the door outside that echoed through the building. Someone had been thrown against it. Ruthie thought. They waited, Ollie and Michael with guns in their hands, all staring in the direction of the door.  
There was another bang and a slam. There's someone in the building.   
"Ruthie, down." Michael told her quietly.  
Ruthie got under the desk, pulling the chair in to help conceal her. She leaned her head low, watching Michael and Ollie's footsteps. They were facing the door, their knees bent, ready to dodge if they needed to. The gunshots that rang outside got closer. There was another bang and slam of the door and the sound of a body falling down the steps. A man followed the body, yelling in Italian. Michael shot at him, or was it Ollie? Ruthie couldn't tell. She remained with her head down watching their feet. Another gunshot went off and Ollie ducked below the window.  
"What are you two hiding in here?" Another Italian asked.  
Michael shot and Ruthie heard a body fall. The first Italian shot at Michael and hit him in the leg, Michael dropped to his knees. Ollie took the opportunity to get up and shoot but as soon as he rose, a shot went off and Ollie fell to the floor a bullet in his head.  
Ruthie looked at Ollie's blank eyes. It was as if he was looking at her as blood poured from the back of his skull.  
Michael hid out of sight from the Italian and as she heard his footsteps get closer to the door, Michael rose and punched him. A fistfight broke out between the two and the Italian fell to the floor. Looking over he saw Ruthie, whose eyes widened.  
"Well, what do we have here!" The Italian said with a nasty smile.  
Michael punched him again and the Italian fought back. It wasn't long until the Italian put his thumb in Michael's leg wound, and Michael gave into the pain and the Italian got on top of him and began hitting him. Michael wasn't going to win this fight. Ruthie, quickly got off the floor, grabbed the phone on Alfie's desk and hit the Italian over the head.  
"You bitch!" He yelled at her and he began to get off Michael and advance on her.   
Ruthie ran as fast as she could toward the stairs. She pulled a barrel down and the Italian tripped over it. As he scrambled off the floor, he grabbed Ruthie's leg and she pulled it away. At that time Michael and rejoined the fight and grabbed the Italian. Ruthie heard a gunshot as she ran up the stairs and didn't wait to see who had got shot. If it was the Italian, he would come after her.  
She ran out the door and got lost in smoke. Men were screaming and there were flashes of fire from shooting guns. She staggered as she looked for a safe place to go. She had no gun, no weapon whatsoever, and she was a woman. If Simon found her before she could hide again, he would use that to lure Alfie.  
She ran between men, looking for anyone she knew.  
"Ruthie!" She looked over and John was looking at her. He ran towards her and put his hand on her back.  
"What are you doing? You're going to get yourself killed!" He said over the noise. He beckoned her to follow him and she stayed by his side, his hand never leaving her back as he tried to find a safe place for her to go.  
They ran a block before gunshots rang in their direction and John stepped in front of her, protecting her, and shot back at them.  
"Run, Ruthie!" John instructed her and she obeyed.  
Ruthie ran, unaware if John was behind her or not. Occasionally, she would dodge a shot or a flying weapon.  
Suddenly there was a Jewish man behind her.  
"Come with me." He said.  
"Thinking he was one of Alfie's men, she followed him down an alley. As they came through the other side, a man she knew as Ishmael, one of Alfie's key men, shot at him.  
Ishmael came up to her, "The other side has Jews too!" He said as she looked at the man she had foolishly followed. He could have taken me right to Simon.  
"Where is Alfie?" Ruthie asked him.  
"Around the block. You have to –" He didn't have time to finish his sentence with another man came at him with a pipe.  
Ruthie began to run again. She turned the corner and she tripped, cutting her knee.  
Ruthie picked herself up off the ground, blood running down her leg. She scanned the chaos going on around her when she saw it. Alfie was shooting at an Italian causing him to have his back to Simon who had his gun out. Simon raised his gun, pointing it at Alfie's back.  
"ALFIE!" Ruthie yelled and without hesitation sprinted as fast as she could in his direction.  
Alfie knew that voice. What the fuck is she doing out here! Alfie turned at the sound of his name and Simon, realizing what Ruthie was trying to do, pulled the trigger.


	21. Chapter 21

A hum followed the gunshot. Alfie and Ruthie stood, unmoving, staring at each other. What just happened? Alfie looked down at himself feeling his chest and stomach for any sign of pain. Nothing. He missed! Alfie thought. He looked back up at Ruthie who had not taken her eyes from his face. Slowly her eyes traveled down to her stomach where her right kidney was. They both watched as a small speck of blood grew bigger. She touched it, looked at her bloody right hand, then back up at Alfie. Alfie searched her face for any sign of pain or fear. She blinked and swallowed, keeping her hand over her stomach. As soon as her legs began to give out, he wrapped his arms around her, catching her. He held her as he slid down to his knees. Silently they stared at each other. A single tear running out of the corner of her eye to her hair. He gave her the slightest shake of his head, as if silently begging her not to leave him. She laid there in Alfie's arms, staring at the face of her lover until he began to blur. Then she closed her eyes, and all went black.  
Alfie held the unconscious Ruthie. He knew he needed to react, to do something, anything. But all he could do was hold her. Slowly as if through a tunnel he began to hear his name. He looked up and saw Tommy running towards him. He looked at Simon and Arthur had already gotten to him, disarmed him, and was beating him.  
"Alfie! Get her in the car!" Tommy said as John sped down the road, running over the opposition as he did so.  
Once the car had gotten to them, Alfie picked up Ruthie and they both got in the back of the car. Tommy told John to get out and make sure Arthur didn't kill Simon. The two of them were to keep him in Alfie's 'bakery' until they were instructed otherwise. Tommy got in the car and drove the bleeding Ruthie to the hospital.  
Alfie held Ruthie close, his hand over her wound, putting pressure on it. He kissed her head as fear began to overwhelm him. What if we're too late? The car screeched to a halt and Tommy opened the back door so Alfie could get out. They ran in the doors of the hospital and Tommy yelled for help. Two doctors and a handful of nurses came running with a gurney. Alfie laid her on the moving bed as Tommy explained that she had been shot. As they wheeled her away, a nurse turned to stop Alfie and Tommy following.  
"We will take it from here. I will update you if anything changes."  
Tommy and Alfie stood, watching them wheeling her away. Alfie turned angrily and put his bloody hands through his hair before he punched the wall, breaking two of his knuckles.  
"Alfie – " Tommy began  
"Where is he?" Alfie demanded.  
"Look, I know what you are going through. But –"  
Alfie drew his revolver and pointed it at Tommy. Tommy fell silent.  
"Where is he?" Alfie demanded once more. "I won't ask again."  
"He's at your bakery. John and Arthur are there with him."  
Before Tommy could add any more, Alfie was walking out the door.  
_________________________________________________________________________________________________  
Alfie drove down the streets of Camden, with the absence of three of the leaders, the battle was over. Sabini had seen what Arthur had done to Simon and called his men off. Gypsies and Jews were now cleaning up the streets and Alfie knew tomorrow it would look as though nothing had happened.  
When he arrived at his bakery, he went down the stairs and found John and Arthur staring with disgust at Simon. When they spotted Alfie, John stepped forward.  
"Well? What did they say?"  
Alfie shrugged, "We don't know anything." His eyes never left Simon's.  
There was a moment’s pause before Arthur looked at John.  
"Let's go John."  
"But Tommy said to stay here."  
Arthur looked at Alfie, who looked back with a clenched jaw.  
"I know, but it's time to go." Arthur knew Tommy had made them keep Simon alive for this reason. Tommy knew what it was like to have the woman he loved shot with a bullet intended for him. And he knew Alfie would want to do something about it. The two brothers left and proceeded to the hospital to await any update on their sister.  
Meanwhile, Alfie stared at Simon. Anger and disgust covering his face.  
"Did she die?" Simon asked with a twisted smile.  
Alfie turned and walked to the corner of his office to grab his cane.  
"So, what was the point in all this?" He asked as he walked back, his knuckles white as he held the cane tight.  
"Bitch lied to me." Simon said, now supporting a sour look.  
"Lied to you?"  
"Yeah. When I was dying in the war." Simon looked down.  
Alfie tried to decipher what he was talking about, then it hit him.  
"She was your nurse?" Alfie asked.  
"Yes, I got injured and stayed at the hospital she was working at. I'd watch her try to help the men, and when one came in that we knew wouldn't make it through the night she would hold their hand and sing to them until they took their last breath."  
"What does that have to do with you?"  
"I caught a fever from my wound. It got bad and she sat by my bed and sang one night. I thought I was going to die, but I didn't. And I knew it was her singing that saved me. She was my own guardian angel."  
Alfie looked at Simon confused. "Then why would you want to kill her?"  
"Because! It was a sign! She was meant to be with me! Not you!"  
Alfie felt pity for the man. He had been damaged by the war, and not just physically.  
"And now she is going to die. And there won’t be a soul there to sing to her." Simon said with a chuckle.  
Rage filled Alfie. He raised his cane and swung as hard as he could, cutting Simon’s eye. Simon laughed. Alfie swung again and again. This fucker is twisted and mad. Finally, Simon's chair fell to the side and Alfie threw away his cane and began punching him. Plenty of men came back from the war different. That didn't make it okay to hurt innocent women. Alfie took all of his rage and fear for Ruthie's life out on Simon until Simon was no more. Alfie sat back, breathing heavy. He didn't know how long he had sat there, but finally getting up, he returned to his car and went to his house to change out of his blood stained clothes. He threw a clean shirt onto his bed and missed. As he went to pick it up, he found a stocking. The stocking Ruthie had lost the first night they spent together. Alfie picked it up and looked at it, remembering every detail of that night. Noticing he had been gone for almost three hours, he quickly got dressed and went back to the hospital.  
As he got there, he noticed every member of the Shelby family was there. Polly and Ada were crying, and the men were all sitting down. Tommy began to walk to Alfie, a serious look on his face and Alfie's face went white.  
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________  
Six months later  
Alfie walked through the door and up to the counter to make his order. When the plate was put in front of him a voice came from the back.  
"Charge him extra."  
"Extra? I don't know that it's worth any more?" Alfie said with a small grin.  
"Is that so, Mr. Solomons?"  
"Yes. I'm afraid you have over-priced your bread, Ruthie Shelby-Borofsky-Solomons, whatever the fuck your name is."  
He began to grab the plate, but Ruthie pulled it away from him. "Pay up." She demanded as she leaned over the counter with a smile.  
Alfie leaned in and kissed her, and she motioned her head to the right. "He's over there."  
Alfie looked and saw Tommy Shelby sitting at a table in Ruthie's bakery reading his paper. Turning to walk to the table he gave Ruthie a wink.  
Thanks to their wedding, a new alliance had formed before God and all of the witnesses, between the Gypsies of Birmingham and the Jews of Camden Town. After telling Alfie she had made it out of surgery and the doctors were unsure if she would make it through the night, Tommy watched Alfie sit by his sister's bed for three days. He held her hand and once, Tommy was sure he heard him singing to her. There was no way he could withhold his blessing on their marriage. Since then, Alfie and Tommy met regularly. Alfie never told Ruthie what they were meeting about but Ruthie knew her husband and her brother well enough to know they were planning to take over England one city at a time. She didn't know if they would succeed but they were happy. She put her hand over her stomach and watched as her husband said something cheeky to her brother. She couldn't wait until the evening so she could tell Alfie the news. She didn't know what the future held for them, gangsters rarely got happy endings, but as long as they were together nothing else mattered.


End file.
